


Golden Horse

by SabrinaT



Series: Stallion [3]
Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: Complete, F/F, F/M, Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:22:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 27,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25885780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SabrinaT/pseuds/SabrinaT
Summary: Ada ran away, leaving no trace of herself behind. What was more, she was able to maintain a relationship with her brothers Arthur and Finn, without Tommy finding out where she hid. This is the story of her new life, of her new city, and of her great love.
Relationships: Ada Shelby/Original Character(s), Ada Shelby/Original Female Character(s), Arthur Shelby/Original Character(s), Arthur Shelby/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Stallion [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1819309
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

Polly sat in the parlor, sipping her tea, and looking around the wood paneling. She enjoyed this activity, as it gave her much needed time to think, before Karl or Elizabeth called upon her, demanding all her attention. No, the children were not cumbersome, they were anything but; but even the most devoted of grand-aunts needed some time to herself, to reflect upon her things, to figure out where she stood in the world. As it turns out, she stood tall, very tall indeed, on a cliff, overlooking the stormy sea. In the distance, a ship, a pirate ship armed to the teeth. However, she wasn't scared, she didn't even pay it much attention. Comfort was the best of sensations, after a lifetime of sacrifice. In the grand scheme of things, Polly and her cliff were very small indeed... but it was the sort of small one cannot help but to admire, the sort of small one could liken to a vital part of a much bigger machine. And, as long as that machine was the part of her family that mattered, Polly was very happy. Very happy, indeed. 

"You alright?" Polly heard someone say from a distance, waking her from what had turned into an open-eyed slumber.

"What? Yeah, of course" she responded, blinking her eyes in quick succession, so that she could actually see who it was that needed to talk to her. Turned out, her adopted daughter Georgia stood at the door, looking into the parlor, looking at Polly with one eyebrow raised. "Didn't see you there, didn't know you were home already" 

"I am. Didn't have much to get done, really" Georgia explained, finally entering the room and repositioning some of the bottles on the bar before settling on a small amount of brandy. "Pretty rare, huh? To see me here, when Ada and the children are at the park, still" 

"Very peculiar" Polly agreed, observing Gigi carefully as she sat down on the sofa, and drank her beverage. "But very welcomed" 

"Yeah? Glad to hear it" was the reply, as the younger woman stretched her legs, and then her arms, turning her neck to the sides to ease some of the pressure and tension. "I trust you're still comfortable? You've everything you need?" 

"I'd tell you if I needed anything. I received a letter from my son Michael today" Polly informed, a proud smile on her lips. Michael was the only one outside that house she cared about, even if he did have his own shortcomings. For one, he refused to abandon ship in Birmingham, and refused to stage a coup to take over Tommy's businesses. He'd always been a good rule-follower, which was bizarre given how much Polly herself despised rules and orders. If someone were to compare Georgia and Michael, they'd find that no two people could be more different. Of course, Georgia was a Gold, and not a Shelby, whereas Michael was all Shelby andd only a tiny bit of Gray. 

"He alright?" 

"Yes, he is. Working hard, apparently. Doesn't seem to miss the States, though" the doting mother chuckled, smoothing her garment over her thighs, and wondering whether Michael would ever meet Gigi, and whether she would have on him the effect she had on everyone else with a working set of eyes. "Reading between the lines, he seems to have left some unsavory unfinished business there. As for what he'd brought to the UK, it didn't really go beyond new suits and some fancy cigars. 

"Not much of a traveler, is he?" Gigi inquired, bringing a special kind of smile to her stepmother's features. "He's gone soft" 

"He has, indeed. All of us have. Even you, love" Polly teased, returning the favor and watching Georgia try to conceal a gorgeous smile. "You've gone soft, and you've never looked more beautiful" 

"Love has made me this way. Wanting to take care of you, of Ada, of the children... And I thought I'd die if I couldn't travel, I really did. But I haven't, and each day that passes, I appreciate this life more" 

"You could go easier at the farm, though. That shoulder of yours bothers you all the time, don't think I haven't noticed" 

"I work as hard as I need to. I've said this to Ada, too, but she doesn't believe me, and neither do you. As for the shoulder... well, that's the price I pay, isn't it? Besides, I think I slept on it the other day" Gigi shrugged, incapable and utterly unwilling to complain. She worked, and she worked her ass off at the farm, but she also made it her mission to never mix the two worlds: her work, and her family. "I'm fine, though, I really am. It's like you said: I've gone impossibly soft, and I ought to be ashamed" 

"Ashamed? Never. I don't think you've ever been ashamed in the days of your life" Polly pointed out, finishing her tea and putting the book she was pretending to read to the side. She did have a point, aside from the banter: Gigi was simply not the type of person to ever allow embarrassment to be a part of her range of emotions. Truth be told, Gigi did not have a very wide spectrum of feelings, and Polly had only ever seen three: familial love, passion, and violence. The adoration that woman displayed toward Karl and Elizabeth was nothing less than inspiring and endearing; her love for Ada burned brighter than the fucking sun... and then there was the woman who dumped corpses at people's doorsteps. Moreover, Polly had an inkling that the volcano which hid inside Georgia Gold would explode in epic proportions if any sort of threat came to her family, to the ones she loved. If she was already terrifying in her normal form, her dark side had to be something out Hell itself. 

"I wouldn't say that, although I can't remember when the last time was" Gigi confessed, looking at her now-empty glass. She motioned to refill it, but seemed to regret it immediately, and leaned back again. "I have a question for you, but I only want an answer if you feel comfortable giving it to me" 

"What is it?" 

"I would like to know whether Ada is happy with me, or if she's with me because she thinks she'll be in danger if she's not" 

Polly couldn't stop herself from going into a coughing fit, not because her and Ada had been found out, but because the question was so completely outlandish. For anyone else, it was absolutely obvious that Ada was madly in love with Gigi, and not in a sick, manipulative way either; the only Shelby girl was so smitten with her partner that her eyes sparkled each time Georgia came into her line of sight. There was nothing more beautiful than seeing two people who were truly in love with each other, and Polly was lucky to see it every day, with the bonus of seeing her niece so happy and calm. 

"Where did that come from? Who put it in your head?"

"No one. It's... see, I may not be capable of shame, but I am capable of self doubt. To be honest, I live in fear of her, or you, or Karl or Elizabeth being unhappy, or uncomfortable" Gigi clarified, taking a deep breath. She didn't know how to say it differently, didn't know how to explain what she felt, how her heart stopped every time Elizabeth did as much as whine. "I just want to make sure everything is alright, want to make sure" 

"Georgia. Don't you ever doubt, for one second, that we are all incredibly happy here: happy, comfortable, well-fed. And Ada? I wish you could see her face when she looks at you. Can't you see it? Don't you see it when she's in bed with you?" Polly asked, seriously wondering whether Georgia had drank any more brandy before coming home. Did she not have a pair of working eyes? Did she not know Karl adored her so much he almost cried when she played rugby with him in the backyard? Or the manner in which Polly herself treasured every single word the two of them ever exchanged?

"I guess that when she's sleeping next to me all I can think is that I don't deserve her, and never will, no matter how hard I try. I adore her, I love that woman so fucking much I can't explain it. And you, and the children... my god, I never knew this type of love existed, and it's so precious. I'm so scared of hurting you" 

And Polly didn't know what to say to that, so she decided to get up and embrace Gigi with all her strength. This girl was mighty, scary, stunning, monstrous, murderous... but she was also capable of the sort of love which moved mountains... or, in their case, the sort of love which moved a family from a toxic environment, to pure bliss. 


	2. Chapter 2

There was nothing better than hearing the noise of rain outside, while inside the coziest of bedrooms. Even better than that, was watching one's partner tending to the fireplace. In what world was a woman like Georgia Gold allowed to exist? She had the worst habit of crouching down instead of bending over, and she did this while wearing nothing but her underwear. Hence, her every muscle was visibly moving, flexing and relaxing. Polly often compared Georgia to a cat, and maybe that was the closest someone could come to putting that beauty in words. Ada had been reading a book, and then Georgia arrived, went into the bathroom, came out in her underwear, and was now looking after the fire. Gigi herself didn't feel the cold much, but she was aware that Ada did, which meant the fire was always pleasantly warm. Somewhere along the way, the book had been discarded, and Ada had directed all her attention to her partner. The kids were probably asleep, and Ada knew this routine well: coming to their bedroom, going to the bathroom, throw clothes in the hamper, splash some water and soap on her face, crouch in front of the fireplace, ending with chucking the underwear to a random corner of the room, and putting on some old nigh shirt. Today would be no different, and Gigi would be asleep the second her head hit the pillow. 

"Are you coming to bed anytime soon?" Ada heard her own voice asking, realizing it sounded slightly whiny. 

"Yeah" Gigi answered, getting up and stretching her arms above her head. Something about the movement made her shiver, which meant bad news about the shoulder. "Is this good for you, love? Are you cold?" 

"No, not cold. Just lonely" Ada informed, giving in to her right to be a brat, and demand her love come to bed, instead of teasing her mercilessly. Somehow, knowing Gigi didn't do it on purpose made it better: something about her was inherently alluring, mouthwatering, and she didn't try one bit. "This book is boring, too" 

"Wow, there's something I never thought I'd hear you say" Gigi laughed, approaching the window and checking whether the curtains were closed properly, as well as the window itself. 

"Also, it's about a man and a woman who fall in love, and then have a series of sexual encounters... the author thought it would be a good idea to describe everything with as much detail as possible, which... well, doing it is one thing; reading about it is another" Ada explained, picking the offending book up and placing it on her nigh-stand, ready to be taken to the library the next day. 

"Can't say it sounds like my type of thing either" Georgia agreed, although the only kind of book she read was about farm animals, vegetable growth, and horses. Better yet, she preferred magazines about those topics, with quick, informative articles on the same matters. "We both know what I'm about to say, but the simple fact that there is a man involved in the sex makes me sick to my stomach" 

"They're not that bad" Ada guaranteed, although she really didn't know why she said it. Sure, sex with Freddie, and then with Ben was good enough, it felt nice and all. They were both quite gentle, and sweet, and caring. However, there was something about it that paled in comparison to what she'd experienced with Gigi, with what she could now have. A different kind of love, a different kind of thing altogether, basically. 

"No, of course not. Just not my thing" Gigi shrugged, getting rid of her underwear as expected, and putting on a flannel shirt, way too big for her, and which had probably belonged to either her brother or her father. A simple garment, really, but which held a meaning to Georgia: the presence of the loved ones she'd lost, guarding her as she slept. "Don't think any of them want anything to do with me, either" 

"Excuse me? My brother Finn looked at you as if he was staring at a five-course meal" Ada said, raising her eyebrows at the same time. "Not the only one, either" 

"Oh come on. Your brother has seen like five women total in his lifetime. Besides, what do I care what men think of me? What do I care what anyone thinks of me, for that matter? You think I'm good enough to share your bed, that's good enough for me" the Romani girl stated, pulling down the covers and getting inside them, hands behind the nape of her neck. 

"I like it, though. I like that men look at you, and desire you. I like to see it in their eyes, like to see it in their faces. It's so obvious, and I love to see it. Love to know I'm the one who gets to have you, gets to watch as you take off your clothes and put on your old shirts" Ada murmured, laying on her stomach, hands beneath her chin, eyes fixed on Gigi, who didn't really know what to say. 

"Funny you should say that. I fume every damn time I see someone looking at you" Gigi admitted, making both of them laugh. "Not because I think you're mine or anything like that, but because I'm afraid I'll lose if there's a competition" 

"A competition?" Ada inquired, biting the inside of her bottom lip, and reaching for a strand of Gigi's hair. Sure, it was soft, she smelled amazing, and her lips looked slightly glossy... which was so fucking hot the temperature in the room rose in response. "A competition you could win just by looking at me like that"


	3. Chapter 3

The home was silent. The early mornings always were, in the minutes before Elizabeth woke up, demanding to be fed and changed. Once it happened, Ada would get out of bed, rub her eyes, put on her slippers, and walk over to the baby's room. There, she'd pull down the top of her nightgown, and spend a good half hour nursing her baby, relishing on the silence that followed the ruckus. Meanwhile, Gigi would have stretched and would be following suit, always knocking before she entered, despite Ada telling her she didn't need to. Gigi didn't really abide by that, though, afraid as she was to intrude on a moment meant to be shared by mother and child.

"How are you doing?" Gigi asked, interpreting Ada's sweet smile as permission to approach, and sit by their side. "You look tired, love. Once she's done with nursing, go back to bed and I'll change her" 

"What time is it?" Ada asked, her eyes threatening to close under the weight of her sleepiness. She wouldn't trade nursing her daughter for the world, but the baby was now eating four times a day, one of which this early in the morning. Needless to say, Gigi and Polly helped a lot, but it still felt like it was her responsibility to do everything, and the guilt she felt when she didn't change every single diaper, or burped the little one every single time was nothing less than overwhelming. 

"Almost five-thirty. It's terrible outside, the rain from last night isn't letting up. I went to check on Karl before heading here, but he's fine as long as there's no thunder" Gigi responded, welcoming Ada's head into her shoulder, and kissing her hair. "Look at her, she's so gorgeous" 

"She is, isn't she?" Ada sighed, caressing the top of her daughter's head, wishing nothing more than to care for her like this for every second of the rest of her own life. "And she's so loved, she's got a home and people who would do anything for her. It's everything I could ever ask for, for both our children"

Georgia loved it when Ada said things like that. Of course, neither Karl nor Elizabeth could be her biological children (nor could she and Ada conceive another baby), and given that she was not interested in men, Gigi could never expect to have any babies born from her womb. Up until Ada, this had never been an issue, as she spent most of her life travelling and, regardless of what her sister Esmeralda said, babies needed stability, and Romani tradition was anything but. In keeping with that, however, it felt incredible to have kids, and to raise them with the love of her life by her side. Ada was not only the most remarkable woman in the universe, but she was also the best of mothers.

"I love you. I love you more than anything" Gigi let out, offering her finger for Elizabeth to hold. The baby didn't seem to mind the calluses and the scars, and looked nothing short of thrilled for having that makeshift toy. 

"Where did that come from?" Ada inquired, despite beaming with the glow only a mother and a woman in love was capable of displaying. "I love you, too. Of course I do" 

Do I have to have a reason? I don't think I want to be one of those people who allows their partner to feel taken or granted"

Not a second after Gigi said this, there was a knock on the door, and Polly entered the room, a nervous smile on her face, and a conspicuous piece of paper in her hand. Everything about her denounced news, and big ones at that, too. As for what they were, Ada could almost guess, as she recognized the handwriting as being that of her cousin Michael. Even without that piece of the puzzle, it was easy to come to that conclusion, as just one person in the world made Polly Gray as happy but as nervous as her only surviving son. 

"I wish I had a camera to take a picture of the two of you and the baby" Polly exclaimed, her voice barely audible over the rain. "Mail came early, today" 

"Not to brag, but it came early for you. The rest of Swansea will have to wait for theirs" Gigi smirked, making a mental note to find out which of her associates had made the journey in a storm, only to assure Polly received her son's letter as soon as it arrived in Welsh territory. 

"Oh" Polly let out, looking down at the letter in question, and feeling her heart beat a little faster, filled with something close enough to joy. "Thank you, Georgia. From the bottom of my heart, I really..." 

"No, no, it was nothing, no need to thank me. I know some people who work for Royal Mail, and it's not difficult to get things to come through faster. I knew how much you wanted to get his reply" Gigi explained, all while helping Ada compose her clothes and burp the baby, who looked sleepier by the second. "What did he say?"

"He's coming to see me, finally" Polly responded, which forced Ada to hold back a groan. She didn't care very much for her cousin Michael, whom she considered to be a useless, spoiled brat, more concerned with prostitutes and cocaine than with his long-suffering mother. "Next week" 

"Those are amazing news, I'm happy to hear it" Gigi exclaimed, with the type of happiness one felt knowing their stepmother was getting her dearest wish. Of course, Ada knew better: Gigi and Michael in the same room would cause the sort of mayhem she herself wished to cause with the bratty cousin. "Did Tommy..." 

"No, no, Michael said Tommy is not even aware of his surroundings these days" Polly spat, not even worried about her nephew, or his health condition, which was decaying rapidly. "Arthur will cover for him, as he always does for Finn when he goes to visit Isaiah"

"Are you sure?" Ada asked, placing Elizabeth in her crib and taking a very deep breath in the process. Gigi knew that deep breath way too well, and wrapped her arm around her partner, kissing her exposed shoulder. This managed to calm Ada a little, since it was more than obvious that Michael Gray would not be left alone for one single second in Swansea, nor would he even get a glimpse of the home, of Ada herself, or of the kids. 

"Of course I am. Everything will go great" Polly said, unaware of the dislike her son arose in other people. Of course, he'd done things she hated; but deep down, he was her boy, her baby, her son. In her head, he wasn't that different from Elizabeth. 

"Of course. We should go eat something, don't you think? I'll bring you yours to bed, gorgeous" Gigi offered Ada, kissing her on the cheek. "What would you like?"

"No, no, I'll go down with you" Ada refused, deciding to deal with Michael Gray if she had to, and certainly not before six a.m., when Georgia was right there, kissing her sweetly, assuring safety and security without as much as opening her mouth.


	4. Chapter 4

Michael Gray had never seen his mother look as happy as she did now. Her cheeks were pink, the corners of her eyes crinkled with joy. Truth be told, ever since joining the Shelbies, Michael hadn't looked much further than his own self. It was just the way it was: he came first, and even his mother came second. Of course, Polly fueled to this fire, treating her only son as if he could do no wrong, as if he was the best thing to ever happen to planet Earth, if not to the universe. Hence, it was only logical that the doting mother wanted her son to meet his stepsister, who was beyond noteworthy. All in all, Polly wanted to flaunt her children, and would've included Ada, Elizabeth and Karl, if it wasn't for Ada not wanting to even catch a glimpse of Michael. Georgia wanted to meet him, though, and it was decided that she would introduce herself as Polly's good friend. All the secrecy was simple to explain: Ada simply could not trust one more person. Arthur and Finn, along with Isaiah and Maria, were the only ones who'd been allowed to be aware of the full facts, and all of them were absolutely trustworthy. 

"Georgia, this is Michael. Michael... this is Georgia" Polly introduced, not even able to contain the biggest of smiles. Michael looked so dapper in his suit, while Gigi looked positively devastating, in what could easily be an overly simple dress. 

"Good to meet you, Michael" Gigi said, extending her hand for Michael to shake. Instead, the young man took her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckle, in a flirty manner that would fool absolutely no one. "Polly has talked about you so much I feel like I know you already"

"The pleasure is all mine" Michael responded, his eyes fixed on hers, unwilling to move. "You are... absolutely gorgeous" he added, despite sensing that the beauty in front of him hadn't appreciated the kiss on the hand, let alone the compliment. 

"Thanks, I guess?" Gigi full-on shrugged, knowing too damn well what was happening, and very uninterested. So far, Ada had gotten it all right: Michael was a spoiled kid, with a God complex, and who was used to have panties dropping wherever he went. Unfortunately, not only was Gigi immune to the charms of men, but she also had a very hard time believing whoever threw compliments her way. In her world, there wasn't much use for beauty of allure; what you needed was a good pair of working hands, good health, and resistance to the elements. "Tea? Coffee?" 

"Tea, for me" Polly said, and Michael agreed. In keeping with good etiquette, it would be the man's job to order for the ladies; but the waiter nearly dropped his tray once he saw Georgia, such was his respect and deference. Therefore, Gigi was the one to order for them. 

Conversation didn't seem to flow very easily. Polly tried very hard to find things in common, but it wasn't easy: Michael was an accountant for a growing family business, Gigi was a farmer, who moonlighted as the leader of what could be labeled a vigilante gang. Besides, there was no way Gigi would fall for Michael's charms, unlike the two ladies in the table next to them, who kept giggling every time he looked in their direction. 

"Why is it that Tommy can't know where you are?" Michael decided to ask, sipping on his tea, and looking at his mother over the cup. "I know that you aren't going back to Birmingham, but I just want to know why" 

"I don't want to talk about it" Polly sighed, her smile fading and eventually disappearing. "I couldn't stay any longer" 

"And Ada?" Michael pressed, seemingly unaware of the muscle on Gigi's jaw tightening. "You know where she is?"

"No. No idea" Polly stated, pursing her lips. Half an hour; half an hour was all it took for Michael to turn into miniature Tommy. "Did he put you up to this? Will you tell him anything?" 

Michael leaned back on his chair, not knowing what else to do. Yes, Tommy had asked him to report back, in exchange for more responsibility within Shelby Limited. It had seemed so easy, even if he had to convince himself that it would be to help Polly come home, stop running away from whatever it was she was escaping from. But deep down, even Michael Gray could tell when he was being entirely selfish, no matter how much he tried to justify it. And what seemed easy, was now complicated. Now, Michael wasn't as decided as he'd been upon his leaving Birmingham. 

"I... yeah. Yeah, he did ask me to meet you, and then tell him where it was that I met you, so we could come get you" Michael ended up confessing, draining his lungs of air. "I know that... I know you..." 

"So? Are you going to tell him where I am? Should I just go with you now? What?" Polly asked, her voice raised in confrontation. "What do we do now?"

"I won't tell" Michael whispered, hating the look on his mother's face. Turns out, even his ambition had limits, and even someone with that amount of drive was capable of love. What he didn't count on was on the resources of the good people of Swansea, and of their lady and savior, who left nothing to chance. 

"We can't know that, can we? Well, if you want to take anything back to Tommy Shelby, how about the receipts of the purchases you made with Shelby money, stolen from their safe? Oh, or maybe the pictures of you with a prostitute, paid in Shelby stock?" Gigi asked, reaching for her pocket and producing the aforementioned papers. Polly's jaw dropped, as did Michael's, his heart rate going from steady to frantic in a split second. The worst part was that it was true: he'd stolen the money to bet at the horse races, while he really did exchange Shelby Limited stocks for blowjobs. 

"I already said I'm not gonna say anything" Michael countered, his complexion paling. What had once been the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen was now a demon, a monster, an omniscient being capable of destroying his life, of getting him killed. "Alright? No need to fucking..." 

"To fucking...? See, I don't need to hear another word from you to know you'd eventually tell on Polly" Gigi spat, grabbing the papers and organizing them before crossing her legs and arms, staring Michael down until he couldn't hold her gaze any longer. "I can't risk it. Now, if you keep your mouth shut, I'll keep these in the vault. If not... let's just say I have a plot picked out for your grave, pretty close to here so your mother can visit the son who betrayed her" 


	5. Chapter 5

The sheer power of blackmail was insane, and vicious. Polly could be the first to admit it, and she would... but she understood why it was needed. It was needed for her safety, for her peace of mind, for her life to get back on track. Besides, there was also the matter of the children, and of Ada, who had refused to let Michael see her. Looking back, maybe it would've been best to follow her niece's decision, but Michael was her son, her only son. 

"I hope you don't resent me too much for that" Gigi said, feeling bad about blackmailing Polly's son, but knowing she'd done what she had to do. "I didn't tell you anything because I knew you'd ask me not to investigate him like that, but I needed to make sure you and Ada would be safe. I couldn't let him run back to Tommy and tell him about where we are" 

"I know that. I don't resent you" Polly sighed, looking out the window. They were back home, in the parlor, where they always seemed to get together and have a chat. This time though, none of them wanted to reach for a glass. "I know you did what you needed to do, and I want to thank you for looking out for me" 

"Right, but he's your son" Gigi remarked, deciding to sit down on her customary armchair. There was something about the expression on Polly's face that scared and saddened Georgia, something she couldn't put a finger on. "It's... I can't say he's my favorite person I've ever met, but if you love him, I shouldn't have..." 

"Yes, you should. And that's what I hate, Georgia. You needed to have blackmail material on my son, on the son I nursed, and looked after, and loved more than my own life. Fuck, he was willing to betray me, just to gain more power, more money, to feed his ego and his ambition. What kind of monster..." Polly cried, stifling the sobs that forced their way out of her throat. "Did I do anything for him to be like this? What did I do wrong? I know they were taken from me, but it wasn't my fault" 

"No, no, I'm sure it's not about you. Some people just... get caught up in everything" Gigi tried to reason, even though she didn't really know what to say, as her own mother had been dead for a very long time. In truth, for so long that her face was starting to fade. "Not your fault, at all" 

"With everything that has happened, am I supposed to believe that?" Polly chuckled, dripping with sarcasm and grief. "Michael was a good boy, but then he came to find me, and became a part of the family, and that's when the poison got to him" 

The poison had a name: Tommy. He was the reason why Michael had gone off the deep end, and Polly was guilty of being the reason why Michael got exposed to a man like Tommy. How could a mother live with herself, knowing what she'd led her little boy to become? Even worse, what kind of mother couldn't save her son from something like that? It was her obligation, but it was just one more failure she would have to think about when she tried to sleep at night. Soon she wouldn't be able to sleep at all, with all the ghosts and demons that lived in her head. 

"Polly, I know it's awful that he was willing to do it, but he did say he changed his mind, eh?" Gigi responded, hoping to God Michael had really repented. "I only took out the papers because he scared the shit out of me when he admitted to spying for Tommy. That's on me, maybe I should've trusted him" 

"I'm sorry, but neither of us believed that" Polly shook her head, smiling a little for the first time in hours. "No, you did the right thing, we'll both sleep better at night knowing he won't say anything. What I wouldn't forgive was if you'd trusted a stranger, and put Ada and the kids in danger" 

"Well, that was how I justified it to myself when I got the proof. To protect all of you, I have to do things I don't like to do. And I try not to think about that too much, but my hands are dirty" Gigi justified, taking a very deep breath. She never talked about these things, she tried not to bring those specters into her family home. "I would do anything for my family, and you're part of it, no questions asked. I'm more than willing to do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Leave the moral consequences to me" 

"Let's share. Let's share the burden" Poll offered, reaching for Gigi's hand and taking it between her own. "Anything for family" 

"Anything and everything" 


	6. Chapter 6

Gigi seemed to refuse to look away from the window. She'd been standing there for at least half an hour, and Ada stood at the door, leaning on the door frame, wondering whether her partner would ever move, or do as much as open her mouth. Clearly, this had a reason: Michael Gray. He was probably on his way to Birmingham, and good riddance to him. But his presence in Swansea had caused some damage. Polly was pretty much destroyed, and her eyes had the type of redness to them that stems from wanting to cry, but holding back tears for the sake of others. As for Gigi, she was a little more resistant (Michael wasn't a blood relative of hers, but Polly meant the world to that woman), but even she looked devastated. 

"My love, do you want to talk about it? I don't like seeing you like this, and if you need to talk, I'm here" Ada ended up saying, wrapping her arms around Gigi, and placing her chin on her love's shoulder. "You're cold, don't you want to change into something else? Go to bed, get some rest?" 

"I'm fine, don't worry. You should get in bed though, you're the one who gets cold at night" Georgia ended up saying, her voice even huskier than it normally was. "Polly didn't have a good day" 

"I know. And you didn't either" was Ada's response, looking out onto the backyard and counting the sheer amount of rugby balls Karl had left out. Her son loved to play the game, and if Gigi was home, he pestered her into playing with him. Nothing could ever be sweeter and cuter, and Ada could spend hours on end watching them roll around in the mud. "He's not... a good person, like you and Polly are. So don't let him get to you, really" 

"Me? No, I don't think I'm that good of a person, but what I do think is that I wouldn't rat out my own mother" Georgia chuckled once again. "I would do anything to have my mother here, I would do anything to have my dad, and Bonnie back, too. Michael is lucky enough to have his mother, but he was fully prepared to sell her out, to get more money or what the fuck ever"

"Doesn't surprise me" Ada sadly admitted. "My mom was a saint, too. I'd never do anything to harm her, and to think someone with a mother like Polly would do that... Makes me sick" 

"Makes me sick, too. Makes me sick that he would do that. And makes me sick that I had to threaten him with telling Tommy about the shit he's been pulling" Gigi confessed, pursing her lips. Ada could look up and see her expression, and it was nothing short than heartbreaking. "And Polly feels like shit, thinking that she failed as a mother if this is who he turned out to be. I have no idea how to make her feel better, I have no idea how to fix this" 

"Love, there is nothing you can do. Polly needed to see him, and needed to see this is who he is. I know it sucks, but she'll recover, she'll understand it wasn't her fault at all" 

"So I just sit and do nothing?" 

As hard as it was to admit, Ada had to tell her partner that was exactly what she needed to do. Polly would heal, they all would, and it took time, as every matter of the heart did. Sure, Michael was an inconvenience, with his greed and unbridled ambition, but none of them could let him take over their lives, or think less of themselves. Polly was an amazing woman, and Gigi was incredibly protective of her family, and did what she had to do. Ada could see it clearly but she also knew the both of them very well, and she knew that neither of them would ever do something similar. 

"Do you understand how this is all his fault?" Ada asked, hoping she didn't sound patronizing. "If he wasn't such a bitch, none of this would've happened" 

"I know it's not the same thing. I understand that I did what I needed to do. I think I do, yes" Gigi ended up agreeing, nodding her head, brows furrowed. "He admitted that he was going back to Tommy to tell him everything, and I snapped. I shouldn't have reacted that quickly, should've tried to reason with the kid" 

"The kid? Love, he's almost twenty-seven, he's a full seven years older than you" Ada laughed, trying to lighten the mood. Thankfully, Gigi laughed too, understanding what Ada was trying to do, and appreciating more than she knew how to put into words. Even her body language softened, and her hands came to rest on top of Ada's. Even her body temperature rose a little, and she took in a deep breath. 

"So I'm the kid, eh? I'm the kid who has to go around threatening bratty kids" Georgia sarcastically stated, turning her head so she could kiss Ada on the forehead. "Thank you. You make a lot of sense, and I appreciate you taking the time to reason with me" 

"Don't mention it. You do that for me all the time, and I adore you" Ada sighed, taking this opportunity to grab Georgia's hand and taking her to bed, given that the both of them were already on their pajamas. Much to her surprise, Gigi actually got under the covers, and turned on her side, so they could be face-to-face with each other. "This is better, huh?" 

"Yeah, no joke. You look pretty" 

"Sure, no makeup and after a long day" 

"I mean it. You're the most beautiful woman I have ever seen" Gigi seriously remarked, reaching for Ada's lips and caressing them softly. "In what world am I not dreaming?"

"If you are, I am too"


	7. Chapter 7

Kindness was not something that was either black or white; it appeared in shades of every color of the rainbow, and no one person was all kindness, or all evil. There were days when a person was the best in the world; and then others when the same person was despicable, awful, deserving of hell. Maybe this is a little too extreme, but humans were capable of everything. This made sense to Polly, who had stayed awake after the meeting with her son, trying to make sense of his actions, of his intentions. In any case, nothing could excuse something like that, nothing could ever make amends for it. But he was still her son, her only son... Or was he? Arthur was alive, Finn was too, and there was Ada and Gigi, and Karl and Elizabeth. So no, Michael was not her only family. Did that make any difference, though?

"You feeling better?" Ada asked, as her and her aunt sat at the kitchen table, while Karl played with Gigi in the backyard, and Elizabeth slept quietly in her cot, within their line of vision. "I can only imagine how hard a time you're having" 

"I didn't sleep a wink last night. I can't imagine Georgia did, either" Polly chuckled, hands around her mug of hot tea. She always drank it while it was scalding, which was absolutely insane in the eyes of anyone else.

"She didn't, you're right" Ada sighed, remembering waking up in the middle of the night, to see Gigi looking up at the ceiling, eyes wide open. "I talked to her, she knows she did the right thing for all of us. But I don't think it was easy for her to threaten someone who means so much to you" 

"I know it wasn't, couldn't have been. She is so... so brave. I don't even know what to say. She's too brave for her own good. And she'd do anything for us, she's done everything for us" Polly agreed, looking out the window and seeing her stepdaughter playing, mud all over her clothes, arms and face, the biggest smile on her face. "Also, Michael was an easy target: he's been... well, doing a lot of things he shouldn't be doing at Shelby Limited" 

"So he was already embezzling money, and still wanted to sell you out for more? Fucking hell..." Ada exclaimed, absolutely shocked. Why someone who was already incredibly privileged wanted even more was insane. It wasn't like he had a family to support, or someone other than himself to provide for. There were no kids, no spouse, no nothing, other than prostitutes and cocaine. To think someone would betray their mother for more... it was too much like Tommy to ignore, and as scary as it was worrying. 

"I know what you're thinking, I thought the same thing. That's why I don't know what to do" Polly confessed, sighing deeply, her eyes darkening a little more. "Is there any way I can just forget about this? Forget about him? Leave this behind? Be able to write to my son without... what do I do? What would her father do?" she added, still looking at Georgia, and missing Aberama that bit more at that moment.

"I think he would have killed Michael on the spot" Ada mused, which made Polly laugh for some reason, lightening the mood. "To be fair, I have to give it to Gigi: I'm pretty sure she wanted to do the same, but held back because he's your son" 

"I think so too" the older woman nodded, feeling the usual warmth around her that she felt when Aberama was spoken about. As per usual, Polly Gray did not need an explanation for it, and didn't think telling anyone would help. "My god, she looks beautiful when she gets that look in her eyes" 

"She is. She's just... I know I'm madly in love with her, and I am as biased as they come, but you know when you leave the house with her, and everyone stops to say hello, or to simply stare? I feel like I'm a member of the royal family" Ada joked, delighted at the thought of Michael Gray looking at Gigi, wanting her, desiring her, but having zero chance, for once in his life.

Suddenly, the back door swung open and a very muddy Karl ran inside, holding a rugby ball in his filthy hands, and dumping it on the sink, as per his mother's previous requests. Following suit was Georgia herself, who took off her boots before walking into the kitchen and leaning down to kiss both Polly and Ada on the cheek. 

"Good game? Karl, you're going straight to the bath, no discussion" Ada insisted, receiving an eye roll in return, but being obeyed in the end. "Georgia, you're also in urgent need of a shower" 

"Oof, I'm on a tight leash, am I? Since when am I Georgia?" Gigi inquired, a smirk on her lips. "But fine, I'll do as you say, try to get this mud off me. Be right back" she called out from the stairs.

"Is she? On a tight leash? Because if so, you might want to consider a job taming wild animals at the circus" Polly joked, making Ada laugh hard. It really was very similar to make a lion twirl or get Georgia to settle down and at least come home every night, actually sleeping in a bed instead of bunking with her horses. "The way she looks at you, though... that's love. She looks just like her father, more and more each day. It's like seeing him in front of me, having him protect me"

"You loved him like I love her, didn't you?" 

"I love him like you love her" Polly corrected, wondering whether she was imagining it, or if Gigi smelled just like her father too. "Don't think I'll ever be able to love someone like I love that man" 

"I thought I would never get over Freddie, that I would never feel for someone else what I felt for him... the thrill, the excitement, the danger... but I'll be damned if there wasn't plenty of that with Gigi, and I'm... I feel her in my bones. Feel her deep inside me, like she never leaves my side, like she's mine and I am hers ever since I we were conceived. That probably sounds silly, but..." 

"It's not. It's really not" Polly replied, wondering if anyone had ever described love as eloquently as her niece had just done. "It's true, isn't it? That soulmates don't make you whole, but make you understand the bits of you not even God could explain" 


	8. Chapter 8

Arthur stood in front of his sister, and couldn't move a muscle. There was nothing in that face that was unfamiliar, but yet, he didn't know it at all. It was different, his Ada was different. Beautiful, kind, but different. And he'd never been so happy to see anyone in his whole entire life. 

"I have no idea how I went this long without seeing you" Arthur ended up saying, snapping out of his trance to better appreciate the enormous nature of this moment. "Come here" he added, wrapping his arms around his sister and lifting her off the ground. 

"I missed you so much, so much" Ada responded, her voice muffled by Arthur's greatcoat. "Did you have a good trip? Was the train too crowded?" 

"No, not at all, it was fine. Even Billy had a good time" Arthur guaranteed, letting Ada lead him inside her home. As per usual, the warmth enveloped the oldest of the Shelby children, and transported him into a time when he had no worries. His son was already playing with Karl, who had a toy train that was pretty amazing, and had probably been very expensive. 

"Yeah, I hope he has a good time here, too" Ada sighed, watching her son and nephew play on the carpet. "We can go to the park tomorrow, and maybe to Gigi's farm. Billy would like the animals, and my kids love to go there" 

"Sounds like a plan" 

Arthur took his time looking around, as everyone who entered that home did. Finn had told him a bit about it, but the kid would've never been able to describe the warmth, the scent, the comfort. This was the type of house Arthur had always dreamed of having: himself, Billy, and someone... someone who understood, someone who made him get the look he'd seen in Ada's eyes. 

"Can I get you anything to eat, drink?" Ada offered, approaching the bar and pouring two glasses of whisky, anticipating her brother's habits. Handing him the glass, she sat down on the couch, giving the kids space to play, and guarantee some sort of privacy for her conversation, knowing Karl would try to eavesdrop. "How's Finn?" 

"He's in Inverness" Arthur informed, getting comfortable on a very soft couch. It was only then that he understood how tired he was, and how the environment made him sleepy. It was maybe the warmth, the whisky, or the safety that oozed from every inch of the exposed brick of the exterior wall. "You know, because of Isaiah's baby" 

"Of course, I should've guessed. He didn't say anything in his letters, but it makes sense, he's going to be godfather" Ada smiled, remembering how the preacher's son looked at Maria Santiago, and imagining just how amazing it would be to see that same man looking at his child. Equally, it was so strange to imagine that boy with a child, with a wife, with the perfect life in Scotland. "Polly still isn't happy about it, she wanted Maria, Isaiah's wife, for Finn" 

"I've got a better chance of finding a wife than Finn, these days" Arthur chuckled, although there was nothing to laugh about. "He's... He's..."

"He's not doing well, I know" Ada exhaled, thinking about how emaciated her baby brother had looked the last time he'd visited Swansea. "What can we do, if anything?" 

"Nothing to be done, I don't think. It's sad to say this, because he's so young. But I know the look in his eyes, and I know what's going on in that head. Business... business isn't for him. Tommy should have never given him Isaiah's job, he should have protected the boy, given him something else to do. I can't lose another brother" 

They both knew it to be true. Arthur had barely been able to survive John's death, and the jury was still out on whether he'd gotten over it, grieved properly. Despite knowing that Finn was fragile, Tommy had put him up to things that no younger brother should be forced to do. And Finn did it, he did them, he did everything he was asked, and sometimes more. It was eating him up inside, it was killing him slowly. 

"There must be something we can do, there must be something someone can do..." Ada started, before being interrupted by the noise of the front door opening. A gush of wind ran through the lobby, and with it came Polly Gray, almost running into her nephew, and holding him as close as a mother would. 

"You... you" Polly said, holding Arthur's face between her hands, before her attention shifted to Billy, who had grown exponentially since she'd last seen him. "And this little man, he looks so handsome" 

"Good to see you too, Pol" Arthur smiled, like he hadn't smiled in months. But then the air was sucked out of the room just as quickly as it got in, as the oldest of the Shelbies witnessed the entrance of the woman who had once threatened to have him killed. "Georgia" 

"Arthur. Good to see you. You smoke?" Gigi asked, rolling a cigarette between her fingers, leaning against the door frame. Ada got up from the couch the minute the other woman appeared at the door, and the two shared a gentle kiss, before Gigi lit the product of her work and inhaled its smoke. 

"Sure" Arthur replied, accepting the cigarette and the match as well. He didn't really know what else to say, but one thing was for sure: he had no idea how come Gigi Gold owned the house he was standing inside of. She also looked different now, looked like... looked like a man could dwindle knowing she was in love with someone else. Lord knows she'd never looked like that before, Arthur himself had said it to Finn once. "I hear you have a farm" 

"I do, yeah. Have some horses, too. Your baby will like them, they're used to children" Gigi remarked, as if it was of no importance that she was in the presence of someone she would have very much enjoyed killing about a year ago. To her, it wasn't, simply because the past was the past, and she never held grudges against people whom Ada liked. "Finn?" 

"He's..." 

_In love with_ _you_ Arthur wanted to say, but held it back with all his might. Not even Finn himself knew it, he hadn't understood it perhaps, but a brother knows, a brother senses things of this nature, a brother simply feels it in his bones. 

"He's good, he's hanging in there" Arthur ended up saying, not knowing what he was expecting Gigi to say in return. No one in their right mind would even doubt Ada and Gigi's love, their devotion to each other. So it wasn't fair to guilt any of them for Finn's situation, especially because it wasn't the sole cause. "Your business?" 

"Good. Hanging in there" Gigi smirked, in the very particular way she had of teasing someone, her special brand of familiarity. "Your cousin Michael. He's a right bastard, isn't he?" 

"Georgia" Polly warned, though she knew all too well it wasn't far from the truth. "Please, that's my son" 

"Sorry. Still. He still around?"

"He's always around when there's money" Arthur informed, something that seemed to amuse the lady of the house to no end. "Can't say I blame him, but there are limits" 

"Limits like family" Ada chimed in, looking around with so much love in her eyes it was impossible to look straight at her without being temporarily blind. "Limits like love" 


	9. Chapter 9

Polly smoked only when the children were away from her, either playing outside, or sleeping in their rooms. She had this sinking feeling that the smoke would harm their lungs, which she would not allow. Now, there were three children in the home, and seven people in total. Georgia and Ada were tucking in Elizabeth and Karl (although he protested, he liked receiving goodnight kisses, and even having a story read to him, even though he could read), accompanied by Arthur, who was doing the same with Billy. The babies shared Elizabeth's room, and Arthur in the guest room Finn had once occupied, right across the hallway. Knowing all this, Polly allowed herself a smile. Arthur looked healthy, looked happy, every bit the father he was meant to be. Billy looked great too, and both of Ada's kids were absolutely elated for having a new child in their house, to play with. 

"They're good. Billy is sleeping, Elizabeth is too, and I believe Karl will be in no time" Georgia's voice echoed from the landing. For once, she wasn't smoking, or rolling a cigarette. "Ada went to bed, and Arthur is going, too. Aren't you tired?"

"I think I'm so happy to have my nephew and the baby here that I don't feel tired at all" Polly responded, sighing loudly. The sight of her family together was a beautiful reminder of the good still lingering in the world, but it also reminded her of something else: that her own son, Michael, chose not to contact her since his visit to Swansea. Likewise, she hadn't said anything either, wanting to know if her son would ever take the first step, if her son loved her enough to apologise. 

"Arthur reminds me of Bonnie" Georgia said, out of the blue. Polly had never heard the girl mention her brother or her father in that house, at least not in front of her. "I know that it sounds insane, but your nephew seems like a sweet man, with a kind heart. Maybe he can be violent, but he's good deep down. Bonnie was like that, too" 

"I can see that, actually. I miss your brother, and I miss your father. More and more, each day" Polly ended up admitting, sitting on the sofa and looking down at her hand, the same one which still held the engagement ring Aberama had given her. "I can't even imagine what it must be like for you" 

"I miss them, too. Miss my sisters, my mum. But I still have two sisters, I have you, and I have Ada, the kids. I don't know how I would be doing by now if it wasn't for this family" Gigi exhaled, sitting next to Polly, instead of on her armchair as per usual. This sort of closeness, of proximity, was something that Georgia seemed to be incredibly weary of, except with Ada, who was someone who needed that sort of display of affection. 

"You're not alone, sweetheart. You'll never be alone" Polly reached for Gigi's hand, and the girl actually let her do it, didn't even fight. Besides, there was this climate of understanding between them: Georgia would never be alone, just like Polly wouldn't be, because the ones they'd lost had never left them, even if neither of them could see them, or even feel them. 

"I know. Damn, it's so... I never thought I would ever... you know, live in this house, have a family, have children to look after, to play with, to educate, to... to provide for. And Ada, I... fuck, what even... what did I ever do to deserve her? I don't know. I don't think I'll ever know" Georgia chuckled, reaching for a glass and filling it with her own whisky. Polly declined to join her, but accepted a pre-made cigarette. 

"Some people are just sent to us to make us better. Your father did it for me, strangely enough. Made me have hope. Ada gave you the gift of stability, of love, so that you can have two worlds" Polly suggested, realising that every time Gigi spoke of Ada, she looked up at the ceiling, in the direction of the master bedroom. If she herself noticed what she was doing was a mystery, but it was so sweet Polly felt the prickling of tears in her eyes. 

"I was thinking, earlier. Is there anyone we could set Arthur up with? Like someone we know who's single" Gigi inquired, catching Polly unaware. "Ada's thinking about it too, but I've come up empty" 

"Who do we know who's single, and who could be good for him?" Polly mused, smoking her cigarette slowly and deliberately. There were plenty of good-looking women in Swansea, but not a lot of them were single, and a lot of them weren't a good fit for a man who was as unstable as Arthur could be. "I'll think about it" 

"Good. Someone who's good with kids, too" Gigi added, happily crossing her legs in front of her. "Gosh, I wish I could get Ada pregnant" 

"I think people at Oxford are working on that" Polly joked, making them both laugh until tears fell down their cheeks. "Karl and Elizabeth do see you as their parent, though" 

"Can you imagine? A baby who is half me, half Ada? My god, we'd have our hands even fuller. I would love that so much" 


	10. Chapter 10

The list was already quite long when Georgia decided to pitch in. 

_Kind_

_Compassionate_

_Loyal_

_Understanding_

_Smart_

_Honest_

"Maybe someone who doesn't hate children" Gigi pointed out, and Ada quickly jotted it down. "Not necessarily someone who already has kids, but someone who likes them" 

"Of course" Ada agreed, scribbling the idea on the back of the receipt she had pulled out of her purse. It wasn't that easy to write on her knee, but the comforter didn't provide any sort of support either. "I don't know anyone who has all this. Maria did, actually, but she's married to Isaiah, not to mention way younger than Arthur" 

"Yeah... so, someone like Maria" Gigi nodded, biting the inside of her bottom lip. She herself was a bit younger than Ada, and it had never been a hindrance, but everyone is different, every couple is different, within reason, and consent. "How will he feel about us trying to set him up with someone?" 

"He'll pretend to be angry and will say I betrayed his trust, and am trying to mother him" Ada rolled her eyes, dismissing the ideas immediately. Whatever Arthur said, she knew this was a good deed, the kind she liked to do for people, especially her older brother. "Deep down, he'll be happy" 

"I still have a gun, just in case he needs to be intimidated" Georgia joked, sitting with her legs crossed. "Doesn't need to be a bind date, we can be upfront about it" 

"Invite her to dinner, maybe? Whoever she might be" Ada sighed, her mind working overtime. Every single woman in Swansea was now part of a catalogue in her head, and even if most of them were immediately erased, it was the only way she knew to solve this conundrum. "Promise me you'll try and think of someone" 

"I will, I'll even ask around the farm if anyone has a single daughter" 

Ada had a mental picture of Georgia trying to be subtle, marching up to one of her collaborators, and inquiring whether they had an unmarried daughter. It was incredibly funny, and she had to stop herself from laughing out loud. In this vision, she had a lit cigarette between her lips, and would cause the impression she was building some sort of harem for herself.

"I'm lucky to have you" Ada ended up confessing, after a few minutes of silence. "If you were single, I would want someone to set me up with you" 

"That is very sweet" Gigi responded, leaning over to kiss her partner on the lips. "You're very sweet" 

"You are, too. Although you refuse to believe it. And although you do not use lip balm" was the answer, leading Gigi herself to hide her face between her hands, in shame. "I'm not saying I don't like kissing you, because I do. I really like kissing you" 

"I like kissing you, and I promise to actually use that stuff you gave me" Gigi promised, going in for another kiss when the faint sound of Elizabeth starting to cry and sob interrupted what she was about to do. Like the diligent parents they were, both got up, put on robes, and went to tend to the little one. Just as Ada was done feeding their daughter, one single name popped up in her head, and soon left her lips, in an act of deliverance that was nothing short of divine.


	11. Chapter 11

Her name was Laura Steinbacker, and she looked like a Spring morning: with red hair and bright hazel eyes, she was a delight for anyone's eyes when she walked down the street. Originally from London, her family owned land near Swansea, which she managed. Her home wasn't that far from Gigi's, and the two had a cordial friendship. Ada and Polly knew her a little better, since she attended meetings and volunteered in the children's home and soup kitchens for the poor. Laura Steinbacker was of German descent, and had the type of manners only someone with the best education could have. As for her intelligence and studies, she couldn't be more complete: with a degree in Law from Cambridge, she was everyone's lawyer, doing more _pro bono_ work than anyone else in the country. Gigi also employed her as a legal adviser, and they trusted each other with matters of the utmost importance, even if illegal in some aspects. 

"I suddenly need to get some legal advice" Gigi nodded, as silently as she possibly could. When Ada had suggested Laura as a good match for Arthur, she had understood the logic: both were good, dependable people, and even if Arthur lost his temper at times, Laura was more than capable to de-escalate a situation, and to stay calm under suress. That being said, Laura was also the kind of person who would not stand abuse of any kind, and if there was a verbal discussion, she was more than able to hold her own. 

"I know, you do" Ada gently nodded, placing Elizabeth back in her crib, and checking on Billy before leaving the two babies to rest. Surprisingly, Arthur's son hadn't woken up with the crying, but he was breathing, and had the cutest smile on his face while he slept. 

"You're a genius. I would never have thought of Laura, not in a million years" 

Back to their own chambers, Ada had to agree with her beloved: it was a genius idea, and whatever came of it, she had a good feeling about it. Even better was knowing that she was the one to come up with the plan that would make her long-suffering older brother happy. The notion of the two not liking each other was so foreign it verged on absurd, and truth be told, Ada did not waste a second thinking anything could go wrong. Gigi, on the other hand, was more than happy to get the ball rolling, but any steps after that would have to be taken by the two people in question. 

"I wonder why she isn't married" Ada asked, her head on her pillow, but her eyes laser-focused on Gigi, who was stretching as she yawned. The clock on her nightstand marked almost five in the morning, and they would probably have a good couple of hours more to sleep. "Maria cleaned for her too, and she said she was quite kind to her staff" 

"Yeah, I've never heard about people having issues at her house. She isn't married simply because she's busy, and I believe she distrusts men" Gigi stated, making sure that Ada was completely covered by the blanket, and that there was no chance of any cold air getting to her and making her uncomfortable, or worse: sick. "Hell, I even thought she was a... you know. Like me. But I don't think she is" 

"No way, you had a crush on Laura Steinbacker?" Ada asked, so surprised and amused she propped herself up on her elbows, staring at her partner in disbelief. "That is..." 

"No. No, I didn't have a crush on her, don't say that, someone might hear you and believe you!" Gigi blushed violently, not quick enough to hide her face as she usually did. It wasn't a lie, either: she never had a crush on Laura, though she had harboured the hope that someone else felt how she felt: that men were a foreign species, devoid of any attractive features, and that women were the only ones she ever felt attracted to. In the end, she'd heard the gossip about Laura and some man from London, whom she used to be engaged to, and her hope of validation landed at her feet. 

"Christ, you're blushing" Ada teased, deciding this was the best time to commit to memory the shade of pink that appeared when Georgia Gold blushed. "I'm jealous, now. I can't believe I've been making friends with the woman you would trade me for" 

"Shut up, don't... never, I would never..." Gigi quickly countered, losing the blush and acquiring an expression of sheer terror. "No, of course not" 

"I know, silly, I know that" Ada guaranteed, allowing Gigi to cuddle up to her. Unfortunately, and as much as she liked to be cuddled, it was impossible to stay awake, not even with the prospect of having Arthur blushing as soon as they could get Laura to have dinner with them. 

* * *

The arrival of someone was always announced by the sudden rumbling of the children, who raced to the door to open it. Visitors were not very common, especially not the ones who always brought biscuits, ice cream and cake for the younger ones. On the other hand, the arrival of this guest in particular was preceded by the sound of sky-high heels, the type that would make anyone less made for them trip and fall every two minutes. 

"Mom! Mom, it's Laura" Karl shouted out, after receiving his first biscuit. After his adored Maria had left with that despicable Isaiah Jesus, Karl had decided on Laura as his future wife. He imagined himself walking on the street, with her arm on his, and passing by his schoolmates, making them so jealous they would stomp their feet on the ground, pout and cry. Of course, not to mention the biscuits and sweets she always got him. 

"Oh God, Karl, no need to yell" Ada replied back, making her hurried way to the lobby, Billy on her hip, and Polly right behind her, holding Elizabeth. "Come on in, Laura, and I'm sorry" 

"Oh no, don't be sorry, he is absolutely darling" Laura responded, removing her hat and coat. "Karl, be a good boy and take this to the kitchen" she added, handing the boy two bottles of champagne, which she had somehow managed to bring along with everything else. 

"God bless champagne, and God bless you" Polly smiled, kissing Laura on both her cheeks. She was aware of the plan, and had given it her whole blessing. She adored Laura, and she adored Arthur, and that was enough to want them together. 

"Dearest Polly, I can assure you that God had little to do with those bottles; they're French" Laura nonchalantly informed, kissing Ada as well. It was only then she noticed she'd never seen Billy before, and that the boy had hair that was very similar to Georgia's. "Who is this precious creature? Oh Ada, my love, have you and Georgia managed to procreate? Or is he adopted?" 

"Neither; he's my nephew. My older brother is visiting" Ada explained, watching as Billy took in the redhead, and seemed to like her, since he extended his arms to her, wanting her to hold him instead. 

"An older brother, how exciting" Laura replied, although her face was the face of someone who really did not give a single damn about any older brothers. She did, however, have a soft spot for toddlers, so she took Billy and poked his belly, making him giggle. "I assume Georgia is still working with her vegetables and her cows" 

"And she took his father with her" Polly shrugged, as she too did not understand the appeal of being around dirt and manure all day. "Men like that sort of thing" 

"I always like it better as the view from my window" Laura agreed, sharing a knowing look with Polly. They were already in the dining room, although they hadn't taken their seats yet. "It's interesting, my father is absolutely crazy about horses, but I wouldn't get in one even if it was the finest ride in all the land" 

"Is that your final answer? Or could you be persuaded?" Ada inquired, trying not to sound too obvious. As far as she knew, Arthur could ride, and liked doing it too. He also liked motorcycles, but the mere though of Laura Steinbacker's heels on such a vehicle was laughable. Maybe this hadn't been as great an idea as it had seemed at first. 

Just when she was starting to worry, Ada was once again called to the front door. This time, and right on queue, Gigi was carrying in an absurd amount of apples, followed suit by Arthur, who came in with his body weight in pears. Armed with the fruit, they both made way past Karl and Ada, right into the kitchen. 

"Will you please wash your hands before you come to the table?" Ada requested, her voice barely audible over the strength of Gigi's hug. Arthur did as he was told right away, his eyes scanning the room for his son, before uttering a single word. 

"She's here, isn't she? I could smell that perfume a mile away" Gigi whispering, making Ada's skin erupt in goosebumps. It wasn't fair: whenever Gigi whispered to her, it was usually because she had an extremely lewd proposition to make. This was not at all like that, but Ada's body still reacted the same. Without missing a second, Gigi washed her hands too, threw her hat to a random chair, and dragged Ada to the dining room, where she greeted Laura enthusiastically. 

"Georgia, why do you have this way of storming into the room, every single time?" Laura protested, patting her hair to make sure none of it was misplaced by the tornado that had formed. Of course, everything was absolutely perfect, from her red nail polish, to the victory rolls, to the blood-coloured lipstick on her lips. 

"Ah well, you know me" Gigi shrugged, kissing her lawyer with an excessive amount of enthusiasm. "I'm here for dinner, and a show too, if I'm lucky" 

"A show?" Laura wanted to know, raising an eyebrow at Gigi, who decided to cross her arms, and stand at the head of the table, staring at the door that led from the kitchen to the room she was in. "You are acting very bizarrely, even for you, darling" 

"She's just... anxious" Ada helped, wondering if her partner could be any more obvious. To be fair, she too wanted to see the future couple's meet-cute, but she at least (along with Polly) was trying not to be too obvious. 

"Do you need me to..." Arthur called out from the kitchen, his head poking through the door, and his gaze falling on Billy, and then on the person who was holding him. 

Even if the three conspirators could have written the script, it wouldn't have turned out better. The three of them could see Arthur spotting his son, but not identifying the hands that held him. He then looked up, and his irises widened until no other colour was visible, other than black. Needless to say, he lost his will and his ability to speak, and if there had ever been lust at first sight, that was it. 


	12. Chapter 12

Arthur looked at Laura as she walked away, and caught the exact spot the moon hit the satin of her pencil skirt. The beauty of that sliver of light was unlike anything he'd ever discovered, and to know a real woman, that woman, was under those clothes, was... well, it was almost as otherworldly as the stars that painted the sky that night. She'd held Billy, the little boy had loved her, which only contributed to the appeal. Not that there was any chance of... no, certainly not. A woman with that level of finesse would never... and how much younger was she? Not a twenty year-old, but in her early thirties, and he was past even his early forties. 

"So?" Gigi asked, carrying with her a glass of champagne, and joining Arthur at the front door. 

"So what?" he asked in return, looking at Georgia and wondering whether he was imagining the twinkle in her eye, or if it really was there. "Was I supposed to come to some conclusion?" 

"Between you and me, if you liked Laura, do something about it. I know her well, and know that she has no shortage of suitors" Gigi explained, lighting a cigarette and extending the lit match to Arthur. "Besides, me and Ada brought her here on purpose. Even Polly gave her blessing" 

"On purpose?" 

"Oh, yeah. We wanted to introduce you to her, and vice versa" was the explanation Gigi decided to give, confident that Arthur wouldn't say anything to anyone. "They know you better than I do, and thought you'd like to have someone" 

The oldest Shelby brother didn't know what to think, let alone what to say. He was vaguely aware that he should be annoyed, or feel betrayed, but he didn't, really. Deep down, he felt thankful: it was obvious his sister and aunt (and even his sister-in-law) cared about him, and knew him well enough to understand he would have liked to meet someone he could raise Billy with, someone who loved him and whom he loved too. Despite everything, a relationship with a good woman was a goal, the sort of thing that Arthur had never stopped searching for. So, at the end of the day, he could only smile and shake his head. 

"They're not wrong" Arthur confessed, hardly looking up from the ground. "Billy seemed to like her" 

"He did. Ada was saying he asked Laura to hold him, and didn't really move like he usually does" Gigi nodded in return, deciding that it would be better not to hide anything, since the evidence was too obvious. "If it counts for anything, I trust and like her. She's not the outdoors time, but she can drink with the best of them" 

"Good to know" Arthur laughed, watching as Laura herself opened the door to her house, about five doors down. "What should I do, then?"

* * *

In the end, Laura was invited via note to join the family at their farm. In typical fashion, Lady Steinbacker showed up in style: riding boots, pants, and her hair up in an elaborate updo. However, despite appropriately attired, she refused to step on mud, and did not allow anyone to get her on a horse. Gigi tried, Karl tried, and even Polly tried, but she did not want to get on a saddle, no matter how beautiful the animal. 

"I do not understand in what capacity this can be entertaining" Laura protested, standing in front of a particularly kind horse. "How on earth do you enjoy this?"

"I think it's fun" Ada shrugged, hoping that Arthur would step the fuck up and do something about the current situation. He'd been eyeing Laura for the whole afternoon, and now, here was an opportunity to get her alone, in a setting as intimate as a horse ride, and he was absolutely silent. 

"I do, too" Karl chimed in, trying to remain relevant near his future spouse. "I'll take you" 

"Oh no, you are not" Ada prohibited, forbidding her son of going ahead and mounting the horse on his own. "Arthur will take you, Laura" 

Laura looked at Arthur (who was still silent, albeit a little red on the cheeks), and sized him up, without even trying to be very discrete. She surveyed the man from top to bottom, seemingly paying attention to him for the first time, and then tilted her head to the side, remaining silent for a bit before inhaling and exhaling, with all the patience in the world. 

"Would you mind?" Laura inquired, changing her mind as quickly as she could change clothes. Truth be told, she couldn't really resist a man, especially of the tall and older kind. "I'm afraid I do not know how to ride horses" 

"I would not mind at all" Arthur responded, his voice steady, calm and as collected as ever. He had gone as far as looking bored with the attempts to convince Laura, which annoyed Ada and saddened Polly. For someone who was usually quite transparent, the man was playing hard to read, which they interpreted as meaning he wanted nothing to do with the socialite. "We'll take that one, she seems tame enough" 

"Yeah. Mildred's a fine mare, she won't mind taking two people. Arthur, you want her in front, or on the back?" Gigi asked, taking it upon herself to untie Mildred from the pole, and lead her onto the open field. Laura took a deep breath, but followed her, with Arthur not far behind. They were a truly weird trio, and it didn't go unnoticed by Ada and Polly, who were torn between laughter, and dread. 

"I don't think we were successful. Arthur doesn't look interested" Ada was the first to admit, letting out a disappointed breath as she fell onto a wicker chair. "Well, he seems interested in her backside, but that's about it" 

"Honestly, sweetheart, if all we do is get him and Laura laid, it will be two birds with one stone, and I'll consider myself successful" Polly dismissed, waving a hand to get rid of a random fly that insisted on pestering her. "They're simply too different, aren't they? Look at her, her outfit probably costs double as much as Arthur had spent on prostitutes and alcohol over his lifetime" 

"I don't know, I think they like each other! I mean, they've only known each other a short bit, there might still be hope" Ada longingly replied, on the verge of saying a prayer for it. Billy was playing with some toy cars on a mat on the floor, and his mere presence was enough for her to be reminded of how much a little boy needed a strong motherly figure in his life, which was surrounded by men who were constantly on edge. 

"Hope that she might fuck poor Arthur behind the barn... or worse, in her four poster bed, with silk sheets, and make him grab his clothes as soon as she's done with him" Polly grimly predicted, closing her eyes behind the sunglasses she'd brought. "The saddest part is that Laura Steinbacker could use someone like Arthur, and he could use someone like her" 

In the distance, both women could see Georgia steadying the gentle mare, while Arthur literally picked Laura up off the ground, and carefully placed her on the saddle, one leg to each side. During this small ritual, Gigi watched them closely, trying to remember details of how they looked, how they moved, knowing she would be subjected to prolonged interrogation by the two ladies sitting in the shade provided by her stables. All in all, there was not much to tell, so they wouldn't get much to go on. 

Or was there?

Laura was already safely installed on the saddle when Arthur placed his foot on the stirrup and mounted the horse as well, his body snug against Laura's back. With the sun in her eyes, there was a good chance that Laura was making it up... but she could almost swear she spotted Arthur's Adam's apple going up and down when he got hold of the reigns. Sadly, that was everything she got, and once the both of them seemed alright, Gigi walked over to the stable again, and got ready to face the questions. 


	13. Chapter 13

The prettiest sounds were the ones coming from an empty forest, accented by the noises produced by a horse, calmly wandering through the trees. Truly idyllic in every sense, the scenery had one single hindrance: the proximity to a body that seemed to be moving in every single way that made Arthur Shelby uncomfortable. Honestly, he had thought of this setting fondly, and it had crossed his mind when he offered to take Laura horse-riding; but Arthur was so scared to say or do anything that would make that woman feel unsafe, that he forced himself to remain expressionless. 

"It's nice here. It was too warm out in the open" Laura explained, closing her eyes and inhaling the scent of pines and other forestry she did not know the name of. Nature was something she found too pure and too precious to try and understand, like she tried to do with everything else. Reason and rationality had no place in a meadow, a mountain, a valley, a river, the woods; it should be left to court, to law and to business. 

"The shade really is nice" Arthur admitted, looking ahead, not letting his eyes wander, as his mind was sure to follow. "Is this so bad?" 

"Hm? No, it's fine. I don't know why I don't like riding... maybe I just don't like riding alone" Laura shrugged, making it sound as if the comment was something of the cuff, with no real meaning, despite it being as charged as she could make it. Polly was right about one thing: even if it meant absolutely nothing else, the plan they'd concocted would at least get both Laura and Arthur laid. For that to happen, all that needed to happen was for Arthur to get his head out of his ass, like Polly used to say, and understand flirtation when he was the object of one. 

"I don't think I can say the same. With a kid, and no wife, I like quiet" Arthur confessed, wishing he didn't sound as fucking sad as he did, as fucking broken. In the silence surrounding them, the emotion of those words came out even more violent and more furious, louder, truer. "Don't get me wrong, I love Billy with all my heart, but I have a big family, and a lot of noise around, so sometimes..."

"...it's nice to have some silence. I know what you mean. I felt that in London, that's why I moved here. I don't have a child, but I would've had stepchildren, and... needless to say, that didn't really happen" Laura responded, matching Arthur with a sorrow of her own. 

By then, neither of them cared very much where they were going, and the horse knew to follow the path marked on the ground. The hooves stomped on the dirt, and as the animal moved, so did Arthur and Laura. In it, there was nothing other than intimacy, the sort you get when you understand that you're not alone in your suffering, that someone felt the same, someone to carry the burden with, someone to share what would sound insane to anyone else. 

"Nothing seems to really last, does it? I mean, with love, and all that" Arthur ended up murmuring, knowing that he didn't need to be self-conscious, as the only person who could hear was the person who felt the same. 

"I don't know if it even exists, let alone last" Laura chuckled, her laughter echoing in the small distance to the trees. "Love for family, sure; but romantic love? I don't know" 

"Love is a load of bullshit, isn't it?" Arthur agreed, laughing as well. "Fuck, I don't even know what I was thinking when I thought I was in love" 

"Same here, same here... I was even planning a wedding! Can you imagine that? A gown, a veil, the whole thing... and I would've gone ahead with it too, if it wasn't for him fucking my sister" Laura joked, although there was absolutely no staging in those words. Of course, the story was sad; but she had found that laughing about the absurdity of her story was the best way to deal with it, to not be afraid of saying it out loud. 

"You're telling me? I actually did it. To a fucking... what even was she? Mormon? Something like that. A fucking religious bitch. How dumb can someone be, eh?" Arthur added, managing to finally let go and laugh at himself, laugh at Linda, laugh at the utter impossibility of a man like him ever being happy with someone like Linda, who had vowed to change him, whatever it took. 

"Well, you got your son, so how bad could it have been? I got to make a new life for myself, and my sister is utterly miserable, as is the bloke. So... maybe this is levelling the playing field" Laura concluded, looking around and breathing in deeply once more, no longer sure of what was forest, and what was Arthur Shelby's cologne. 

"I like that way of thinking, but I don't know if any of that makes up for having your future husband fucking your sister" Arthur himself teased, knowing very well it would make Laura laugh, and he did love to hearing her laugh. He could even feel the vibrations it produced, coming from her chest and lungs, and emanating to his chest through her back. 

"No, I don't think it does, but it's funny how they professed eternal love for each other, behind my back, and that didn't even last two years. I dodged a bullet, that much is true" Laura ended up saying, understanding she didn't care much for that anymore, didn't care that her sister had stolen her man, didn't care if they laughed behind her back, while making love in her own bed.

No, it really didn't matter, just how it didn't matter to Arthur that Linda was gone, that she had taken off. If she hadn't, and if Ada hadn't, in turn, ran away from Tommy with Gigi, this moment would never have existed. So, at the end of the day, Arthur was thankful for what he'd been through, because it had led him to Billy, and it had led him to Laura. Whatever that meant, he didn't know, but both seemed willing to find out. 


	14. Chapter 14

Mildred seemed to know what was going on, and slowed her pace. The mare seemed to know that Arthur needed his time to take the hints, needed his time to process them, and needed time to take action. Laura had already laid down her cards, going as far as taking the liberty of leaning her head into Arthur's shoulder, finding comfort there after laughing hard enough to become breathless. Feeling no resistance from him, she just kept it there, listening to his heart beating. Arthur looked down at this little display of affection, and tried to keep his heart rate from rising, which he only managed to a laughable point. Besides, this liberty Laura had taken was the kind of step he needed to understand that whatever advances he meant to make would be welcome, no matter the type of action it was. 

"Is this alright?" Laura ended up asking, looking up at Arthur's light eyes, which the sunlight hit in a very special way, that produced little spheres of pure luminosity in his irises. "I mean, I don't want to be too obvious, but..." 

"If you move, I might cry" Arthur laughed, wondering if he really would, but knowing he would be profoundly disappointed if she moved, even an inch. "You're not being too forward, don't worry about that. I meant to do something like that as well, but I really didn't want to make you uncomfortable" 

"Oh yeah? Well, you're clearly not from around here. If you were, you would know that I'm not exactly the type of woman who's shy, or a prude" Laura teased in return. "Ada, or Polly would've told you that much" she decided to add, making it as clear as possible that she was catching on to the ploy she had been brought into. Make no mistake, Laura didn't resent her friends, she was actually thankful. But... if they had introduced the both of them to get them to sleep together, they would've said that the best way to get to the finish line was to cut to the chase. But Arthur wasn't doing any of that, he was acting as if he was threading on very unsteady ground. 

"From what I was told, they didn't want to find me someone to sleep with, they wanted to find me a wife" Arthur admitted, wondering if he should say that he too was looking for something more serious. In any case, if he just wanted sex, it would be much simpler to go ahead and pay a prostitute, instead of resorting to his family's goodwill. "Thought I'd tell you now: we're victims of some sort of arranged marriage attempt" 

Laura stood still for a minute, very seriously looking ahead. But then, her lips formed a smile, and soon after she was laughing loudly and freely, so much so that it made Arthur laugh as well. Even if he didn't know what they were laughing at, Arthur laughed, harder than he had in months, maybe years. Of course, it was ridiculous, it was outrageous; but then again, Polly had tried the same with Finn and Maria, only to accomplish Isaiah and Maria instead. This time, maybe Pol had gotten it right, maybe Arthur and Laura would work, maybe her instincts had been right, and Ada's too. 

"I don't know if I'm marriage material" Laura sighed, catching her breath after laughing until she cried. Now, the forest was thinning out, and when she squinted, she could see the barn from a distance. Mildred kept her unhurried pace, and now Laura knew for sure that it was Arthur's cologne that made her head a bit lighter, in the best way possible. "Don't be mad at them, though; they want us to be happy"

"I know, I'm not mad. Are you?" Arthur asked back, feeling Laura shake her head against his chest. "Is there any way I can take you to dinner? Just the two of us? You know, to make them happy"

"To appease them? Sure, I'd do anything for my friends" Laura accepted, chuckling. "Seriously though, I'd love to" 

The rest of the ride was peaceful and uneventful, if it wasn't for the satisfied smiles on both Arthur and Laura's faces. In any case, even if they hadn't agreed on a date, the ride had been perfectly pleasant and relaxing. Billy was the first to spot them, and let out a happy squeal. However, instead of requesting his father's lap, he extended his arms toward Laura, who seemed to be his new favourite. 

"Was it that bad?" Ada asked Laura, who already had Billy in her arms, playing with her copper-toned hair. 

"Bad? No, I wouldn't say that" Laura admitted, knowing all too well that it had been the best horse ride someone could ask for. Arthur managed to find her gaze, and the two simply stood there, eyes meeting until Billy let out a happy laugh. "I guess you got what you wanted, huh?" 

"Hm? What do you mean?" Ada inquired, not knowing she had been caught, and her scheme outed. 

"We'll need you to watch Billy, if that's alright" Arthur clarified, trying not to stare at Laura, knowing he wouldn't be able to look away if he started thinking about being alone with her again. "I'm taking Laura out to dinner, just like you wanted"

"We just wanted to..." Polly started to explain, but Laura waved in dismissal, a very particular smile flourishing in her features. 

"It's alright, really! I mean, I'm the one who needs to thank you, for wanting to find me someone" Laura shrugged, rocking Billy in her arms, until his heavy eyes closed, and he fell asleep. "Besides, I'd have to have dinner anyways, might as well do it with someone nice" 


	15. Chapter 15

Dinner was lovely, but truth be told that the food was really not what mattered. Arthur managed to only talk about Billy for one third of the time, and none of their previous relationships was brought up, or even remembered. Quite some time passed with a beautiful bubble around the pair, and Laura looked gorgeous under the light of Arthur's gaze. That restaurant, near her neighbourhood (hence near where Arthur was staying), had simple, yet delicious pub food, but the upstairs section was polished enough for a date. Laura was the one to suggest this place, which surprised her companion, who expected some fancy dining, instead of a run-of-the-mill pub. That, as it turned out, was the current point of talk. 

"Did you like the food?" Laura inquired, as she sipped on her pint. 

"It was delicious" Arthur nodded, looking around, leaning back on his chair, wondering if this moment could be any more idyllic. "I'm just asking because you look like the kind of person who would appreciate something a little more... upscale" 

"Eh, I guess I don't hate more upscale food, but I prefer good food" Laura shrugged, remembering a particularly disastrous lunch she'd held at a hotel downtown, to discuss business. As it turned out, the food her guests ordered (swordfish) was not as fresh as her pork, and quite wealthy land owners from Glasgow had ended up with food poisoning, and the dealings fell through. 

"Honestly, this is more my speed, too" Arthur chuckled, smiling with his eyes, something he thought he'd lost. Moreover, Laura wasn't even making an effort to be flirtatious, but he'd never been more attracted to someone in the days of his life. She got his jokes, got why he needed to speak about his son, and understood why his knuckles were healing from blunt force trauma. "Beer is nice" 

"It is, isn't it? They always keep it fresh as hell, and the glasses are kept cool" Laura informed, smirking behind her napkin. "I once got my tongue stuck to the inside of one; that's how cold the damn thing was" 

The pair of them couldn't stop laughing after that remark. The picture of Laura, with her victory rolls, perfect lipstick, and luscious lashes with her tongue stuck to a pint glass was simply too bizarre for them to be serious. Strangely, it was only after the laughing fit that a silence fell over the both of them, eyes pointing in different directions, a way of avoiding the awkwardness that crept between them, all of a sudden. Unbeknown to them, the room had cleared, the only noise in the building was coming from the ground floor, where the bar was located. 

"Should we get going?" Arthur asked, knowing too well that any pub owner would take any opportunity to close off a section of the establishment that was no longer in use. "Or we could go downstairs, get another drink" 

"I'll take the drink, but you shouldn't worry too much about us being here by ourselves" Laura explained, getting her small purse and getting up, draping her coat over her shoulders. "I own the place" 

"Huh. You own this?" Arthur let out, looking at Laura, his eyes wide. "You. Own a pub. This pub" 

"Yup. I can show you the paperwork" she teased, even if she did not know where the deed to the place was. Her secretary or her accountant should know, and that was good enough for her. "Lager?" 

Over three hours later, one of the two decided it was time to go. Now, for which of them had decided it, no one knew. What both Laura and Arthur did was find themselves on the street, under the dim streetlights, enveloped by the fog that formed in the low temperatures of Swansea. Arthur could hear the way the silent street, lined with trees and townhouses, reverberated with Laura's laughter. She looked so beautiful, so ethereal, and her hair was picking up on the humidity, making it a little less neat, but not less becoming. Her clutch was hanging from her shoulder, hitting her hip from time to time with the slightest noise when it did. 

"Thank you for asking me to dinner. I really enjoyed it" Laura ended up saying, to break the silence she had misinterpreted as Arthur not feeling as good as she did. "You must miss your little boy" 

"I do miss him, but I miss being myself as well. Don't get me wrong, I would spend all second of every day with my boy, but he's safe and happy, probably already forgot about me" Arthur responded, fighting the guilt that those words caused in his heart. But Ada had said it herself: it wasn't horrible for parents to spend one night, or one evening, away from their kids, as long as the little ones were safe. Besides, this wasn't just a night out on the town, getting drunk and fucking whoever appeared willing. This was a proper date, a proper woman whom he enjoyed talking to. 

"No way, he really wouldn't forget you, you're an amazing dad from what I've seen" Laura stated, smiling to herself, and adjusting her coat to better protect her neck. "Give my best to Ada and Polly, eh?"

Arthur stopped right in his tracks, a couple of steps away from a streetlight. Laura kept walking for the fraction of a second, before realising her companion had stopped. Upon turning around, and with the light behind him, it was hard to see his expression, so even an expert people reader would have a hard time knowing what was going on. Arthur didn't know what he was doing, either: what he did know, and what he did understand about himself, was that he didn't want to give his best to Ada and Polly, at least not right then. 

"You alright? Was it something that I said?" Laura asked, raking her brain for any phrase or any remark that could have been offensive. "I didn't mean to, whatever it was" 

"No, no, nothing you said" was his response, and Arthur's voice sounded absolutely nothing like his normal tone. "I don't know what else to say, or how else to say it. I don't want to go back to my sister's house, not yet. Billy is probably asleep already, and I don't want to go home without kissing you"

Laura knew then that she would never forget those words, said by that man, in that street, under that sky, in the middle of that overbearing fog. The circumstances in which she would remember that phrase were still up in the air, but did it matter? In business, the future was everything; but in affairs of the heart (in which she did have limited experience) nothing was more relevant than the present. 

"I don't, either" she ended up admitting, wishing that she had taken the matter into her own hands way earlier in their night. "Kiss me, then. And make it good, I'm freezing" 

And kiss her Arthur did. The both of them couldn't have been less aware of what was happening around them, and even if a war broke out right next to them, there was absolutely nothing to distract them from the feeling of that long-awaited kiss. Laura found herself held so tightly her heels were off the ground, and Arthur never found out how in the hell he could lift someone up that easily, without noticing it. 


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NSFW

If there was a secretary, or an assistant, or other help, they were nowhere to be seen. Honestly, they weren't needed, even though the home was quite big. Laura knew where to go, knew what to do, and did a good job of guiding Arthur through the furniture, avoiding walls and other obstacles. They had, at some point, tried to stop kissing, but that didn't really work. Kissing like that, kissing Laura Steinbacker like that, made Arthur love drunk, lost in the moment for once. His coat was left somewhere along a hallway on the second floor of the home, along with his suit jacket and Laura's coat. Under it, she wore a dress that clung to every single turn of her body, in a material very much like water: smooth, barely-there, flowing perfectly around Laura's anatomy. 

"Here" she whispered, opening one of the two double doors that led to the master bedroom. In the dark (none of them made any effort to turn on the electrical lights), and now in the vicinity of a bed, neither Arthur nor Laura were as frantic. In fact, their lips separated, and Laura took it upon herself to get rid of the clothes covering the object of her desire. Only when he was down to his underwear did she guide his hand to the zipper on the side of her dress. 

No one had ever looked at Arthur that way, no one had ever looked at him with a bitten lip, eyes tracing his tattoos and scars, with nothing but fascination. Nothing he hated about himself seemed to matter, nothing he'd done was of importance anymore. When Laura kissed his neck, and then his chest, smooth hands running up and down his arms, he truly saw God. And if that wasn't enough, the dress he'd admired earlier slid down her body, and of course she was stunning, of course she was wearing magenta-coloured lingerie, and of course he was almost forced to pick her up and lay her down on the extravagant bed. The comforter was good enough, and the prettiest glow from the moon came in right at the right angle. The type of silence that fell over the room now that there were no clothes to cause friction was short-lived, and replaced with the friction between two bodies that were getting increasingly antsy, in a state of need that was completely magical. 

The best part of intimacy was seeing the pleasure one felt reflected in their partner's eyes. Regardless of his own self, Arthur did everything he could, and Laura followed his lead, even if none of them claimed control. It wasn't possible for a woman like Laura to be submissive to anyone, and Arthur was done having his life mandated by other people, be it his ex-wife, or his brother Tommy. Within all the things unsaid, within the moonbeam they had for themselves, nothing else mattered. 

* * *

Ada used a pillow to cover her face, specifically her mouth. It was either that, or waking the whole house with her moaning, which she was sure would only increase in volume. This obstructed the view of Gigi between her legs, but the babies were sleeping, and so was Polly. Her memory served her right enough, though: there would be the tensing of the back muscles, the hands on her stomach, the blonde hair getting in all the nooks and crannies of both their bodies... overall, perfection. There'd been a bit of a flirtatious tussle before she'd let Georgia win, with the prize being her tongue doing things Ada didn't know could be done. The only thing hindering her was the knowledge Gigi would fight tooth and nail for her to get to sleep, no matter how much Ada begged to return the favour.

"Fuck, I love you so much" Ada heard herself say, unsure whether her lover could hear her, or if her praise was lost in the fabric and feathers. Not five minutes later, Ada felt her stomach tingling and then tightening, and that was that: the pleasure was so intense she thought she was going to die. 

"You alright?" Georgia ended up asking, when Ada threw the pillow to the side, and managed to get her voice back. 

"You're incredible" Ada responded, watching Gigi take a sip of water, and lay down again, as if she hadn't just performed some sort of sexual miracle. "You are. But because you're amazing, and you have an amazing heart and all that, you're going to let me..." 

"I'm good, you need to rest" she replied, going as far as pulling the blankets over the both of them. "I love you" 

"No. Georgia, no" Ada snapped, throwing the blankets to the foot of the bed, and straddling Gigi's torso, grabbing her hands and pinning them to the mattress. "Be a good girl and don't fight me on this" 

"I uh... I think I can... yeah" Gigi ended up acquiescing, eyes wide, not knowing what the hell was happening to her. 


	17. Chapter 17

The beautiful moonbeam was now sunlight, and it hit the comforter, but not the head of the bed. The heat, which was pleasant in the early hours, was now almost unbearable, and Arthur found himself opening his eyes, and looking around a strange bedroom. By the looks of it, his clothing was all over, along with Laura's dress, stockings, and other underwear. That was when a smile crept onto his lips, which widened when the figure next to him snuggled onto him. Even if he was desperate for her to never leave that position, Laura opened her eyes a mere minute later, allowing Arthur to see just how gorgeous a human being could be. 

"Forgot the curtains" Laura groaned, rubbing her eyes and smearing eyeliner and mascara all over her eyelids and upper cheeks. "Sorry, didn't mean to get this close" 

"That's fine, you don't need to move" Arthur responded, not letting her move one inch. For good measure, he kissed the top of her head, and breathed in the scent of her hair, so that this memory was as complete as humanly possible by the time he had to leave. 

"You've tattoos" was the following remark, while Laura's voice struggled to go back to normal. Likewise, she hated mornings, and had a genuine hard time getting her brain to wake up from deep slumber. "And you smell good" 

"Yeah? Even after last night?" he inquired, his skin erupting into goosebumps under the pad of her finger, tracing over the ink. Her nails were painted in a blood red shade, which so happened to be Arthur's favourite colour... well, it was now, anyways. 

"What about last night? You mean the sex?" she asked, knowing all too well that she would be requesting round two if she was to remember exactly what transpired the night before. If she remembered right, there had been a lot less talking, and a lot more activity. "The sex was pretty great" 

"The sex was pretty spectacular, I agree" he nodded, running a wandering finger over her spine, down to her lower back, and back up to the nape of her neck. "Should we have locked the door?"

"No, I don't think so. The cleaning ladies only come during the week, and my assistant is off on Sundays" she informed, shrugging to the best of her ability. To her credit, she was doing a beautiful job of not moving, and of enjoying the cuddles, too. It had never been her style, or her preference, but she was very willing to allow the man beneath her to change her mind, even if it was for half an hour. "You can go, though. I won't hate you if you leave" 

"Pay up, then" Arthur joked, and, for once, his joke was understood and appreciated. "I don't really want to leave, though. If that's alright with you, I mean" 

"Add it to my bill" Laura teased, using her elbows to pull herself up, so she could kiss Arthur on the lips. 

* * *

Polly looked out her window, as her intuition said her oldest nephew had not come home the night before. It was pretty early in the morning and she still hadn't heard any door opening and closing... which meant Ada had been right, and Arthur and Laura were together. That deduction, paired with the noise she'd heard coming from the master bedroom the night before, was a very auspicious start to the day of the people she cared about most in the world. With that in mind, and with a conspicuous smile on her lips, Polly decided to go down to the kitchen, where Karl and Elizabeth were eating breakfast, accompanied by Gigi. Ada was probably still getting ready, and it was always Gigi who got Karl to school. 

"Good morning, loves" Polly chimed as she entered the kitchen, and saw the lovely family scene she always did at that time. 

"Auntie, Gi made us oatmeal" Karl announced, eating his bowl of food with all the focus he could never devote to anything other than food. "With berries"

"Looks delicious" Polly agreed, receiving her own bowl from her stepdaughter, who was busy feeding the baby with a bottle. "It really is good, Georgia"

"Class, I'm glad you like it" Gigi herself thanked, throwing an almond up in the air, and catching it with her mouth, much to Karl's amusement. "Ada should be down in a bit with Billy, he was still sleeping when I came down with these guys" 

"His dad is marrying Laura, isn't he?" Karl asked, lifting his head and watching Polly struggle to come up with an answer. "If he does, Billy will live here"

"You'll have to ask Arthur and Laura, eh? they're the ones who know the answer" Gigi explained, sipping on coffee while exchanging knowing looks with Polly. If Karl only knew how much they wanted what he'd just said to be true, they could have a much more honest conversation... but false expectations were the last thing any of them wanted the boy to have. 

"I want them to get married" Karl concluded, proceeding to devour every bit of his breakfast in absolute silence. 


	18. Chapter 18

There comes a time, in the life of every human being, when truth no longer becomes good enough. Be it a marriage, a friendship, a hometown, a hobby, a job, something falls out of line, falls on the ground, and shatters. In any case, lucky are the ones who have a way out: Maria, Isaiah, Ada, Polly, Karl, Elizabeth... Linda. In a way, Laura too. No matter how many times Arthur tried to think of life before her, he came up empty. Even God himself and his influence in his life seemed absolutely irrelevant. True, by the time any of them came up for air, they'd made love at least three times, and the tangled sheets were on the floor. It was enough for any man to lose himself, and Arthur was a mere mortal, unlike Laura. No, she was not human, she was something else entirely. She didn't even seem to lose her breath, or become tired. 

"I should go" Arthur groaned, sitting up. He'd said it before, he'd even gone as far as pick up his boxer shorts, and put them on... but when he'd gone to look for the rest of his attire, he caught a glimpse of Laura, and he had to go back to bed, had to go back to kissing her, had to go back to making love to her, losing sight of whatever it was that made him want to get up in the first place. 

"You really should. Billy is probably missing you" Laura encouraged, jumping out of her own bed, and reaching for a satin robe. "Here, I found your shirt" she informed, throwing the garment to Arthur, who caught it mid-air, and put it on. Sadly, there was something in her demeanour that had changed: Arthur no longer saw the woman who was happy staying under the covers with him. He now saw the person who'd admitted to having sex just for fun, no feelings involved, not unlike a business transaction. And here he was, another one of those, another one night stand. The mirage of feelings, the possibility of an escape was gone. 

"I uh..." 

"Listen, no need to say anything, really..." Laura meant to start, shaking her head with a dismissive smile on her lips. 

"That's fine, but I still am going to talk" Arthur interrupted, putting on his shirt, pants, and shoes, all before getting up and walking up to Laura, who was standing by her night stand, filling a cup with water.

"Arthur, I mean it. No need to make this awkward, or... or sad, or something like that. If this is any of that, then none of it should have happened" she explained, turning to him and drinking her water. "Besides, I don't know what to say, I just don't know..." 

"Laura, I didn't ask you to dinner to have sex with you and then leave" 

Now that Laura didn't expect. She expected pretty much anything but that, so this was the one scenario she did not have a ready-made response for. What was more, she didn't have a reply to the look on Arthur's face. She hated it when a good-looking man looked at her with that look on his face. He looked lost, and sad, and... a bit like a lost puppy in human form, which she did not know how to handle. Besides, it wasn't like she would be opposed to seeing him again, but that would also be uncharted territory for her. 

"Then why did you ask me to dinner?" Laura ended up asking, breathing in deeply. "To make your sister happy? To appease her and Polly?" 

"They didn't force me to. They just... I don't know, wanted us to meet, to see if we... I don't know. What I do know is that I wouldn't have asked you to dinner if I didn't want to, no matter how much anyone else wanted me to" Arthur stated, refraining himself from reaching for Laura, to place his hand on her cheek, and kiss her. Not that he didn't want to, because he did, he really fucking did. But he also knew she wouldn't want that; she'd made it very obvious. 

"Sex, then"

"Do you... are you fucking listening to yourself? Do you think that low of yourself?" Arthur was now absolutely livid. He thought he was self-deprecating to an extreme, but this... she beat him, she was even better at it than he was. "Because if you do..."

"What? What happens? If I do, I'm not who you thought I was?" Laura chuckled, something clearly brewing behind those eyes that were intense enough to make armies step into formation. "And what? You thought you had me down pat 'cause we spent the night together? You think you know me, you think you know who I am? My god, when I said all men, I didn't mean all men, but I might have to change my mind" 

"All men what, then? If I don't know you after what happened last night, I don't know you after... but you know me. You know me, and you know every man" Arthur replied, blood boiling, fists clenched, heart beating fast. And yet, he'd never felt less violent in his life; he felt like he'd found his match. "If you can't see what is beyond obvious, then I can't help you. I mean it, too: if you can't see that I asked you to dinner because of the way Billy loved you from the start, and because when we sat on that horse I never wanted time to pass, then I really can't help you. And I already have one, possibly two lost cases in my life, I don't need one more"

Again, just like Arthur had said, time stopped: Laura seemed to soften her stance, and he could just... all he could do was stare. The words that left his mouth were said, were done, couldn't be taken back, no matter how hard he tried, even if he wanted to. But he didn't, he didn't want to go back to a time when Laura didn't know that regardless of what she thought, he didn't want to share a meal with her just because he wanted to fuck her. Likewise, if others had done it before, shame on them. But how in the hell had a smart woman, a savvy woman like Laura fall into the trap of thinking that the way others perceived and used her reflected her own shortcomings? Truth be told, everyone was entitled to a weakness, and perhaps this was hers. But if she thought that bit of information would sway Arthur's feelings for her... well, she had another thing coming. And now, it was more than evident that what she'd said was more of a defence mechanism, and less of a real opinion. 

"I know. I know that, I do... I just..." Laura stuttered, wishing that she could sound confident, and wishing she hadn't said anything, wishing her stupid past trysts could stay buried, and have as little impact on her life as she liked to pretend they did. "I'm sorry for not believing you. And I'm sorry for what I said" 

"I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have talked to you like I did" Arthur agreed, breathing out slowly and deliberately. "I genuinely didn't mean to hurt you" 

"No, it's fine, you didn't. I needed to hear that, and I probably needed to hear it from you" Laura accepted, watching as Arthur seemed to struggle between going home to see his son, or lean over, kiss her lips, and probably go back to square one. "Go to Billy. I'll be here"

"Maybe tonight? After he's in bed? He goes to sleep at around seven" Arthur informed, allowing Laura to lead him to her front door. In the daylight, her home looked huge, way too big for her alone. For a family, though... "I was thinking we could go back to your pub" 

"Sure, I'd love that. Give my love to your family, will you?" 


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NSFW

The door opened, and there she was: red hair, piercing eyes, and the red lips. Arthur knew very well Laura looked like that, but it never failed to surprise him. His eyes could very well have been made just to look at her, and the beauty she displayed, inside and out. Likewise, he'd been thinking about her all day, he'd been replaying the night before and that very same morning, both occasions ranking way above any other of the same kind. He wanted to kiss her neck, wanted to undress her, and wanted to do it all again; he wanted her to scream, to rip out handfuls of his hair, to get so tangled int he sheets they'd need to be cut off her. 

"Hi. How is everyone?" Laura asked, holding the door, silently inviting Arthur in. Her demeanour was that of someone inviting a friend to her home, not that of someone inviting the man she'd slept with in. 

"Everyone is fine" Arthur responded, taking off his cap, and his coat. The inside of that house was less welcoming than Gigi and Ada's, but then again, there were no children there, no joy. There was no character, no mementos, no nothing. It seemed like all Laura's things were in her bedroom, and not spread throughout the home. Odd, but there would be a reason, as there always was. Laura was layered, and had one of the most intense inner lives Arthur had ever seen. It wasn't a bad thing, it was actually fascinating, and he couldn't wait to get to know every single part of her. "You?"

"Great. I don't think I'm hungry, though" Laura shrugged, biting her bottom lip, and approaching Arthur with slow, swaying steps. Her high heels made her look much taller than she really was, and stronger, too. Knowing that this was a business woman, a noble woman, served as a reminder that Arthur had a whole lot to prove to be worthy of her: of her lips, and of her bed, as well. "I'll leave it up to you"

"I'm not hungry, either" Arthur agreed, wishing he had the guts to tell her he was hungry for her, and that he would gladly eat her whole, right there, right in front of her front door. "I've been thinking about you all day"

"Yeah?" she beamed, caught off guard for the first time in a long time. "I have, too. What you said this morning... I needed to hear it. I needed to be told that I don't know everything, and that I... that I didn't want to tell myself: that I convinced myself I was worth nothing, and that every man only wanted to use me for sex" 

"I feel bad for the way I said it, still" he confessed as well, remembering talking to her while he towered over her, no heels to help her balance the scales. To her credit, she had never seemed intimidated, but Arthur had understood from the moment they met that Laura had a very good poker face... paired with superhuman-level strength. "I didn't mean to be aggressive" 

"No, you weren't. You were frank, and honest. No one ever is" she smiled, knowing the both of them understood her social standing meant that no one ever dared say anything negative about or to her. "Is there anything you need to hear?" 

"Me? Plenty. So much I don't even know where to start. Tell me I need to stop bottling up everything, until my head hurts so bad I lash out; and tell me I'm a good man who's done very bad things" Arthur pleaded, reaching for Laura's hands, clutching them to his chest, and leaning his forward on hers. "And tell me everything will be alright, because I can't see a way out of what I've done, of what my family has done" 

"Arthur, you need to stop bottling things up. You need to know you're a good man, and that we all do bad things when our head hurts, and when we've been hurt. Everything will be fine, you hear me? And if it's not, if you ever get to the end of your road, and feel like you can't keep going, you come here, and I'll make you disappear, you and Billy" Laura assured, looking up at Arthur, holding his gaze with the type of conviction and certainty that he had forgotten. The good part was that he believed her, and he felt like his heart did too. She quieted the noise of incoming armies, and her touch felt like the breeze on the day the armistice was announced. "I mean it, too. I mean every word" 

"I know. I know you do" Arthur responded, moving his fingers from Laura's hands to her cheeks, and daring to kiss her. This was not the type of kiss that led to sex, that was shared only because of more carnal urges; it was the type of kiss two people share when truth was laid out, when vows are made, and when the two hearts start to beat in sync. "Don't lie, eh? Tell me what I need to hear, I'll tell you what you need to hear" 

"Deal. Arthur?" 

"Laura?" 

"Now that we've set our terms, will you please take me to my bedroom and make love to me?" she asked, still holding his gaze, but with a very different demeanour. 

"Oh, we're calling it make love again, eh? What happened to sex?" he chuckled, balancing his humour with the allure of his mouth on her neck. "Are you going soft?" 

"I might be, whereas you are not" Laura laughed, taking the opportunity to reach for the area in question. "Actually, I still don't know what make love means... so you need to show me" Laura whispered, so beautiful and so sensual Arthur lost his train of thought for a moment. Oh, how wonderful to have an empty head for any amount of time, only to find it filled with the warmth of her breath, the silk of her garment and of her skin.

"I don't think I know, either. I also don't know how to get you to your bedroom, I didn't pay a lot of attention last time, I was... otherwise occupied, and distracted" Arthur smirked, palms snaking around her waist, pulling her closer, making them share a breath. 

"I can help you get there, no problem" Laura nodded, still needing to get on the tips of her toes to kiss her companion. 


	20. Chapter 20

Polly looked at her oldest nephew, and tried to make out what he was thinking. He was looking out the window that overlooked the backyard, and seemed to be entirely focused on the grass. It was lightly raining, but in a manner in which one wouldn't get wet, just lightly damp. He looked very handsome, more so than before he came back from Laura's home. There was also an aura about him, and Polly was drawn to him, wanting to know every bit of detail. 

"Is there any chance that I could know what happened to make you act like this?" Polly ended up asking, lighting her cigarette. "Is it Laura?" 

"Hm? Sorry Pol, wasn't listening" Arthur inhaled suddenly, startled by the sudden interruption of his thoughts. "What did you say?" 

"I'm asking whether you're ever going to tell me what is making you stare out the window" Polly inquired again, hoping this time he would listen. "And I also asked whether it was Laura" 

"I was just smoking, nothing's wrong" Arthur explained, leaning against the window, feeling the cold glass through his cotton shirt. He could also feel some of the condensation clinging to his garment, but it was nothing short of blissful. He was so warm, his body heat needed something to counter it, or else he felt he would combust into flames. "And yes, I guess it is Laura" 

"I'm happy to hear that" she replied, a small smile creeping onto her lips. Of course, she knew he would like her, she knew he would like her; but someone who liked another person and was corresponded had no need to smoke, alone in a kitchen, watching the outside, lost in thought. 

"Did you do it on purpose?" Arthur asked without missing a beat. He now looked a little hostile, and not worrying about hiding it, either. "Did you mean to introduce me to someone you know I cannot be with?"

"Arthur, what in the name of fuck do you even mean by that? Why can't you be with her?" Polly had to ask, hands on her hips, having discarded of her cigarette in the sink. Ada hated it, but this was an exception; this was verging on a crisis.

"Are you listening to yourself? Do you remember what Ada had to do, what Isaiah Jesus had to do? You know none of us can be Peaky Blinders, and be with someone we love at the same time. Do I have to remind you of what happened to Maria?" Arthur spat, his voice harsher than ever before. Polly had seen him angry in the past, she'd seen him sad, she'd seen it all... but now he was disappointed in her, and coming from kind Arthur, it was a hard blow to take. "Do you... did you do it just so that I would move here, so that Billy moves here?"

"It didn't even cross my mind, me and Ada and Gigi just wanted you to find someone to be happy, someone to..." Polly tried to defend herself, holding her hands up, as if she was trying to convince her own nephew not to shoot her. "We didn't think of it" 

"If you didn't, it only makes it worse, you know? Only makes it... you didn't think of it, you didn't... You didn't consider what could happen" Arthur protested, fully wishing he was back with Laura, in her bed, her arms, her perfume... he wished he didn't have to think about none of it, he wished to go back to when he didn't have to think about anything. 

"I am sorry, Arthur. I'm sorry" she breathed, in and out, as deeply as she possibly could. However, it did positively nothing to calm her nerves, to calm the guilt that had grown inside of her, coming out of nowhere. "Does it need to be that way? Can't you just come and go, visit her? Something like that, some sort of arrangement?" 

"Sounds amazing. Sounds pretty fucking amazing, doesn't it? It took me three fucking days to get here, and Billy was not happy with it at all, he was exhausted" Arthur almost screamed, moving his hands, his eyes blown wide. "I don't think that will ever work, somehow" 

"Then what? You're going to just let her go? Knowing fully well there is no one else like her?" 

"Do I have a choice? Do I have a fucking choice? I can't protect her otherwise, I can't... I can't bring her into my mess" 

Needless to say, Gigi was attracted by the loud voices, and what she saw was pretty alarming: Arthur was standing in the middle of the kitchen, Polly had backed up against the counter, and both looked positively distressed. Besides, he'd been yelling the moment before, and the redness in his cheeks denounced just how uncomfortable the whole situation was. 

"I understand this is a private conversation, but I heard yelling" Georgia chimed in, placing herself between the two, even if she did try to make it as subtle as she possibly could. "Ada was concerned" 

"He is blaming us for Laura. Says that we shouldn't have introduced them, because there is no way they can be together" Polly informed, tightening her hands together, to keep them from shaking visibly. 

"And I swear to fucking God, if you say something like 'oh, I can help you run away from Tommy', I will shoot you right here" Arthur threatened, even if he didn't have a gun on hand, and Gigi probably did. Luckily, she did not take it personally, and shrugged. 

"Fine, shoot me then" Gigi dismissed, as if she'd been the target of that sort of discourse, which she truly had been. "What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry for what I did? That I'm sorry that I tried to make two people happy? Sorry that I knew you'd be perfect for each other?" 

"Is this a fucking fairy tale to you? Do I look like the type of person who gets to do whatever I want? Who gets to live their fantasies, and who gets to..." Arthur threw at Gigi, walking up to her, and looking down into her eyes. Sure, she was shorter, but for once, she didn't look like she was about to attack her. Her eyes, which he'd seen filled with murderous rage and intent, were clear. "Who gets to be you and Ada?" 

"Why not? All this because of Tommy Shelby? Your brother Finn might fucking die with all the drugs he's doing, if the stupid jobs he's forced to do don't kill them first. You're now telling me that you want to let go of Laura Steinbacker, to go back to a life you detest, all because of Tommy fucking Shelby. Look Arthur, I don't know who you think you're fooling, but it isn't me. You need to decide who you want to be in life: your own man, or Tommy's brother. I'm done trying to save you from that man, and from yourself, too" Gigi simply said, not raising her voice, and looking straight into Arthur's eyes, refusing to be intimidated by his height, or his build. She'd confronted men twice his size, and always came out winning; he was no different, no better, and certainly no smarter. 

"You don't get to talk about my family like that" Arthur muttered, red hot fire running through his veins, strangely paired with the remorse of being forced to admit she was right. "You don't get to..." 

"You're forgetting your family is Polly's family, and Ada's too. Tommy and Finn are my children's uncles" Gigi reminded, chuckling at his forgetfulness, which probably only served t dismiss what they both knew to be true. 

"Your children? Georgia, those children aren't yours, they're Ada's. Just because you have a nice house, and some influence around these parts, it doesn't mean you get to be what you claim to be. You're nothing but a traveller girl, and a sad one at that, who wasn't pretty enough to marry, and who had to kill people to earn a living. Don't you dare forget you're nothing but dirt under the shoes of my family, and that whatever spell you've got on our Ada will run out eventually" Arthur roared, the words flowing from his mouth without him even formulating them in his head first. That meant he didn't even have time to regret them, or to take them back; all he did was let them linger between him and the girl, who stood there, frozen, holding his gaze still. "You don't get to call the shots, you don't get to tell me what to do, and you sure as hell don't get to help me" 

Without another peep from any of them, Arthur turned around, storming off the kitchen, and stomping up the stairs. He could only think of Billy, could only relax and let his rage simmer down when he saw his son. The little boy welcomed him with open arms, which sadly mirrored his attitude whenever Laura was in the vicinity. And just like that, with his son in his arms, Arthur sobbed so hard he saw white, crying copiously, wishing he had never been born at all. 


	21. Chapter 21

Polly hadn't been able to move for a good minute, and Gigi was right there, in the same position as if Arthur was still staring her down, saying things that were so horrible there could never be forgiveness between them. Matter of fact, the weight of what had been said lingered in the kitchen, poisoning the air, and threatening to destroy the house, ruining the foundations, making all the comfort and softness crumble down to the ground, burying everyone inside under heavy rubble. 

"Georgia, it isn't true" Polly ended up saying, feeling that someone had to, someone had to say something, someone had to reassure Gigi that Arthur was talking out of his ass, and out of some sort of deeply ingrained pain that not even the man himself was aware of. "It isn't true, and you know it" 

"I know it isn't" Gigi responded, pulling a cigarette out of her shirt pocket, and lighting it carefully. "Still, part of what he said is true" 

"None of it is" Polly countered, raising her voice a little, shaking her head with emphasis before placing herself in front of her stepdaughter, hands on the girl's shoulders. "None of it is true. Arthur isn't right in the head, everyone fucking knows it, too, everyone says it..." 

"That's the thing, though, isn't it? He isn't right in the head, Finn is half alcohol, half snow, and all because Tommy decided he wanted power, and money. Look mum, I don't know what else to say, really. I don't know what else to do, and I feel like a fucking idiot, trying to save that whole family from doom. But fuck, I love Ada so damn much I could not bear the idea of her suffering. I can't stand the though of her getting a letter, saying that Finn is dead." 

Polly couldn't, either. Never mind the pain she herself would feel if they lost the boy; Ada would go mad with grief, she wouldn't survive another funeral, wouldn't have the strength to deal with it again. With John, she was on very thin ice... but with Finn, there wouldn't even be water underneath to hold her. What was more, Polly could see just how terrible Georgia felt bringing it up: her face was the very definition of defeat. There was, however, a dignity in Georgia Gold that never left, a dignity she carried even in the most horrible moments, and which Polly felt had been there even when she had to mourn her mother, brother, and father. And it was this strength that held it together, that held them together. 

"Besides, it is true that no one wanted to marry me" Gigi added, chuckling lightly, as if it was of no consequence. "No traveller wanted to be associated with me.. and besides, I've two older sisters, both far better looking than me"

"Their loss, eh? Their fucking loss" Polly concluded, reaching out and hugging her stepdaughter tightly, unable to imagine a world where Ada and Gigi weren't together, madly in love, with their kids, in this home. "You belong here, with me, and Ada, and Karl and Elizabeth. And don't believe Arthur; those babies are yours, regardless of anything else" 

* * *

Ada entered the children's room, worried about the crying she heard from her room, where she'd been resting for a little. She didn't count on finding her older brother, clutching his son, and crying hard enough to make her miserable just by listening to it. Kneeling down next to him, she wrapped an arm around Arthur's shoulder, and tried to calm him down, tried to get him to say something.

"What is it? What happened?" she whispered time and time again, his head on her shoulder, already soaking her dress with his tears. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" he kept repeating, apparently not knowing what else to say. "I am so sorry..." 

"Why are you sorry? What did you do?" Ada kept pressing, feeling bad for Billy, who was looking mildly annoyed at his dad. "Are you alright?" 

"I said... I said some horrible things to Georgia... I didn't mean to say it, I didn't..." Arthur sobbed, coming up for air only when he really could not breathe at all. "I was angry, and upset because of... I have to go back, but Laura..." 

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure she didn't take you seriously" Ada tried to dismiss, but a part of her went into fight mode, ready to run to her wife and protect her. Sure, Arthur was her brother, but if he had insulted Gigi... well, then he would have to deal with the consequences. Right now though, she needed to understand what the hell was happening, especially with the mention of Laura. "What happened with Laura?" 

"I'll have to let her go, won't I? I'll have to go back to fucking Birmingham, and I can't take her with me. I can't... I can't make any promises, I can't make her wait for me, I can't go back and forth, and I can't... I can't have her, I can't fall in love with her, I can't..." Arthur cried, saying just enough for Ada to put the puzzle together. This was all a reaction to the impending trip back to Birmingham, and the certainty that Laura Steinbacker wasn't the kind of woman one could let go of. "And Finn... fuck, my baby brother... I made Tom swear he wouldn't send him into the fucking trenches, he's destroying our baby brother, and I can't lose him, I can't lose Finn..."

That was when Ada started crying too. Everyone knew Finn wouldn't last much longer, everyone knew he would either die from the snow, or from the alcohol, or from some other horrible thing none of them even wanted to think about. Point was that Tommy was making him do and be things he didn't have the strength for, and it wouldn't be long until someone else fell victim to what had killed John, or what had made Ada and Isaiah run away. 

"You can't do it anymore, Arthur" Ada interrupted, holding her tears for just long enough. "You have to get out, you need to leave, and Finn needs to leave with you" 

"I can't do it" Arthur admitted, even more miserable than before. "I can't leave Tom, he's already destroying himself, and if I don't hold him back, he'll..." 

"What would you rather have: Tommy by himself, or you and Finn dead?" Ada clearly asked, knowing it was an unfair choice. "You know this can't continue. Polly knew it too, and Finn is the only reason why she didn't go ahead and do it. "You know it is possible, you know you can take Laura and Billy, and run away. She's got a property in Switzerland; you could go there, and no one would know" 


	22. Chapter 22

Ada took her time going down the stairs, trying to keep her emotions in check. Luckily for her, Georgia was still in the kitchen, drinking a beer straight from the bottle, with Polly drinking tea to accompany her. None of them seemed to be particularly shaken, nor was the air around them heavy. Ada took it upon herself to sit at the table, staring directly into Gigi's eyes, worried that there was something dark looming behind them, brought about by Arthur. 

"Georgia, Arthur is devastated. I'm not taking his side, I absolutely am not; I'm asking you that, from the bottom of my heart, that you go ahead and listen to him. He truly wants to apologise to you" Ada ended up saying, going ahead and taking a very deep breath. She knew Gigi would oblige, probably already dismissing what Arthur had said. It was the way she was: she didn't hold grudges toward family, and it was obvious that Arthur was under an immense amount of stress and pressure. 

"Do you know what he said to her?" Polly whispered, not knowing if she should just come right out and say it, or if she wanted to give Arthur the opportunity to explain it himself. Of course, she didn't really know the two siblings had spoken previously, and that Arthur had already taken that step. 

"I do, yeah. He told Georgia our children aren't hers, and he told her that she was rejected by Romani" Ada revealed, understanding how horrible those two things were. But this wasn't a regular family, those weren't regular accusations, and Gigi was anything but ordinary. "Which is obviously nonsense"

"I know. And I know he's not in his right state of mind. Ada, I'll take his apology, I'll forgive him, and I'll even hug the man. But I won't contribute to what he's doing, and I sure will not contribute to Tommy Shelby's reign of fear" Gigi stated, looking straight at Ada, who nodded in agreement. 

"What can we do?" Ada inquired, looking at both women in front of her, whom she deemed all she needed in a crisis. "What can we do?" 

Suddenly, the loud ringing of the phone interrupted their thinking. There was a phone line connecting to the kitchen, and it was Gigi who went ahead and answered it. Even if that number had only been given out to very few people, she always answered the phone, even if someone else was around. 

"Hello? No, it's Gigi. Michael? Michael, as in... Hey kid, calm down, eh? What's... Are you... are you sure?" Gigi asked, holding the speaker so hard her knuckles were white. Her eyes were wide too, and focused only on Ada, whose brow furrowed. "Are you sure he's not breathing? How did... Oh. Yes, alright, don't worry. I'm on my way, alright? Hold on tight, I'm gonna try and ride there as soon as I possibly can. Don't worry, we'll fix it. Don't open the door, do not say a word to anyone" 

"What's wrong? Georgia, is it Finn? One of the children?" Ada almost yelled, getting up as soon as Gigi put down the phone. Polly was right behind, seeing how pale the Romani girl was. 

"No, it's Tommy. Polly, I'm going to Birmingham, by horse" Gigi explained, already walking to the door, putting on a coat and her hat. "Hold things down here, get Laura here too if you need to. But uh... Ada, you need to brace yourself. Be strong, ok?" 

"I will be, of course. But don't go without telling me..." Ada begged, truly wishing she too could go to her hometown, to deal with whatever it was that had happened. 

"Michael Gray told me he shot Tommy. And that he wasn't breathing" Gigi ended up informing, understanding the scepticism in both Polly and Ada's faces. "Trust me, you can't fake what I heard on that phone. And I won't be alone, I've keen from here to there. I'm so sorry" 


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW for domestic violence mentions!

Gigi never truly thought she would be back in Birmingham. Going in there, smelling the air, made every single hair on her body stand up, and the goosebumps erupt like never before. Even approaching Shelby manor was the utmost bizarre experience, which was heightened by the deafening silence around the house. There was nothing, absolutely nothing and no one, not even the sound of a footstep, or an animal. This contrasted deeply with that she knew had been heard in the vicinity of the mansion about a day ago: the sound of a rifle, and a powerful one at that, going off in the lobby of the house. Under those circumstances, one thing was for sure: Gigi was not all too surprised that the front door was unlocked, and that there was no one to greet her, or to stop her. 

"Gigi?" a voice called out, seemingly from the dining room. There was no movement to accompany the call, so Georgia walked toward the noise, and found Michael Gray, her would-be step brother, sitting absolutely still, back against the wall, his eyes wide, clearly avoiding looking to his side, but bizarrely unable to leave it alone. 

"Yeah, it's me. Has anyone been here?" Gigi asked in return, walking slowly, unsure of whether the boy still had the gun, or if he was going to ambush her. "Are you hurt?" 

"No" Michael sighed, relaxing a little bit at the sight of her. "No, no one has seen us, no one has seen him, and I'm not hurt" 

"Good. Alright. How did it happen?" she inquired, finally seeing the scene Michael didn't seem able to let go of: Tommy Shelby was lying on his back, eyes closed, a dried line of blood coming from his mouth, and a pool of the same liquid under his back, staining the rug. "Did you plan it?"

"No, I... Or maybe I did, but I didn't... I wanted to do it, but I didn't think I had it in me. I came here, and the rifle was on the table for some reason... he started yelling at me for some reason, and I remembered... I remembered how he was the only threat to Pol... to my mother. I looked at him and all I could see was the things he'd done" Michael stated, stuttering, muttering, almost sobbing. "No one else is here; Lizzie left a couple of days ago, she's staying in Small Heath with the kids" 

"Why?" 

"Tommy hit her the other night. And she... well, she just had enough" the young man answered, taking a long and deep breath. "I don't know how she held on as long as she did" 

"Me either. Alright, here's the deal, Michael: you're going to go outside, while me and some cousins of mine take care of the house" Gigi clarified, going as far as placing a hand on Michael's shoulder. He didn't even move until she helped him up. "Is there something from here you need to grab?" 

"No, no, I don't think so" he said, following Georgia to the outside, walking as steadily as he could. "I am... I am so thankful that you came. Really. I'm sorry for what I did and said when we met" 

"That's no problem, it's in the past now. He can't hurt anyone, can't find anything, eh? You did us all a favour, really" Gigi shrugged, taking advantage of the cold breeze to clear her thoughts. Maybe someone else would say speaking ill of the dead was wrong; but those people did not know Tommy Shelby, who held a death sentence over every single member of his family, which was, by any standards, unforgivable. 

"Does it get easier? Killing people?" Michael asked, in the shakiest voice Gigi had ever heard coming from a killer. "It's not... he's not the first... but he was my cousin, my boss..."

"It gets easier when you only kill people who you know the world is better without" Georgia responded, trying very hard not to shrug. She did have some morals, a code, rules; but killing wasn't that big of a deal for her, not anymore. "Number two?" 

"Three" Michael confessed, really and truly feeling sorry for ever pulling those triggers. "I... they were bad men, I know they were. But it somehow doesn't make it easier" 

"For your mother's sake, Michael. You don't ever want to have it be normal. You don't want it to be normal, you don't want it to be... I don't want that for anyone else, let alone Polly's son. You need to change, you need to not follow in Tommy's footsteps. Me and Ada, we talked about it, and the best way to go about this is to get rid of everything. We'll have enough money to get you guys settled somewhere nice, and all of this will be over" Gigi said, and it all made sense to the young man she was now looking after. 

"I just want to go. I want to go" Michael pleaded, watching as several Romani men and women entered the house, and disappeared behind the door. They weren't even visible through the windows, which was probably a blessing. He didn't have it in him to watch anything, he didn't want to be there for one more second. 

"Yeah, I know. Come on, you don't need to stay here. I trust my cousins, they'll do what needs to be done. Where do you want to go?" 

"I just want my mum"


	24. Chapter 24

Time stopped in the days between Gigi's departure, and her arrival, about a week and a half apart. The most beautiful sight in the world, if Ada was the only judge, was to see the love of her life arriving from a rescue mission, on horseback, her hair flowing behind her. Behind her, a vardo, which stopped at Gigi's door, and produced Michael, who looked like he didn't want any part of life. Polly shot out the door the moment her son appeared, and held him in her arms. Arthur too was watching the whole scene, Billy and Elizabeth perched up in his arms, and Laura by his side. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything..." Michael sobbed, holding Polly as if she was going to float away at a moment's notice. She wasn't, though, and just held her son, to make up for all the times she had pushed him into Tommy's claws. 

"It's fine, don't apologise. You did the right thing. I know it doesn't feel like it now, but you did" Polly whispered back, rubbing his back in small circles, hoping to persuade him into going inside, drinking some tea, and maybe even sleeping. Ada joined efforts with her, deciding to wait inside fr Georgia to come back from the stables. 

"There had to be another way" Michael cried, only able to walk because he had the two women serving as support. He took some wobbly steps, but managed to get inside the house, and onto the first sofa he laid eyes on. Arthur didn't move a single inch, but kept looking out the window, holding the two babies. Michael didn't want to look at him either: seeing a grieving brother would surely push him over the edge. 

Laura watched the whole scene, and took a deep breath. She was there for Michael, of course, but that was the official part; she herself, as an individual, was there for Arthur, to provide some calm and some love, when the man by her side laid eyes on the cousin who had killed his brother. Sure enough, the sight of Michael Gray made Arthur's body language change: he stopped smiling, his posture stiffened, and there was a difference in the way he was breathing. 

"Michael, this is Laura, she's a lawyer. We asked her here to talk you through what might happen, what you might have to say if the police come knocking" Polly explained, equally scared that Laura moving to talk to Michael would break Arthur, would be the trigger that set the oldest Shelby off. "They probably won't, but we need to get your story straight, nonetheless" 

"If the police comes, I'm going to crumble, I know I will..." Michael cried, and even Ada had had enough by then. Of course, she could see how Tommy dying solved a whole lot of problems, and she would probably sleep better at night knowing he was dead. But he was also her brother, for fucks sake, and a brother she had grown up admiring, no matter what he had become in his last few years. 

"If you do, you'll die in prison. You'll hang for it. Is that what you want?" Ada responded, doing her best to stay collected for Polly, who was beside herself with worry. "I'm telling you, you'll hang, and this time, there will be absolutely no one to pardon you" 

"And if you hang, you'll deserve it" Arthur murmured, his voice low, but not so low that no one else heard it. Of course that Michael being executed wouldn't bring Tommy back, and Polly would most likely die of gried; Arthur did not want to cause his aunt any more pain, he couldn't stand to see her crying. But Tommy, his brother Tommy, was dead, killed by kin, killed by the fucking kid he himself had brought back into the family. That thought alone made the fire of blinding rage rush up to his head, and he was getting ready to give the babies to Laura to take care of his cousin himself... but then, her hand laid on top of his, her thumb moving back and forth, and the anger dwindled, until it was just pain. He didn't have the words to thank her, but Laura knew he appreciated being held back, for Polly and Ada's sake. 

"I didn't... I didn't mean to... It just happened, I was thinking about business, and then I started thinking about how mum would be safe if he was dead, and..." Michael stumbled through his thoughts, wishing that having an explanation would make it better. Nothing could justify killing, he knew that very well, but the amount of lives that could be saved by his terrible deed seemed to make sense at that time, in that split second before he picked up the rifle and just fired it. 

"If someone asks, you need to say that you weren't there. Did anyone see you, anyone open the door for you?" Laura inquired, her back to the wall, facing her client while keeping a close eye on Arthur. 

"The uh... Frances, the.." 

"The governess" Ada helped, glancing at the door when it opened and closed, revealing her wife. Gigi didn't step into the parlour, having decided to stay in the lobby, looking in from a distance, in case she was needed.

"She was the only one there; the others went away when Lizzie left" Michael further added, only then considering what had happened to Frances when Gigi and her cousins burnt the house down. "I did hear the door slamming though, just as I entered the dining room" 

"She'll just think something went wrong, and the house caught fire" Laura nodded, happy to hear that. It made her case (if there ever was one), a bit easier. "We could also argue that some rival business set fire to it" 

"Arson? Could work" Polly excitingly chimed in, unaware of how her happiness and relief affected the grieving siblings of the deceased. Ada gave her a look, but it went unnoticed, while Arthur felt tears running down his cheeks. Here they were, Tommy was dead, and he didn't even get to say goodbye to his children. What was more, Arthur himself hadn't gotten to say goodbye to his brother, or introduce him to Laura. There were so many things his brother wouldn't get to see, and his older brother didn't even have rage to hide behind. 


	25. Chapter 25

Arthur didn't know what else to say to Laura: she'd seen him cry, she'd seen him smile, he'd seen him as a father, and had seen him lost in the throes of passion. Someone like her, something like what they'd experienced, was more than just getting to know each other; it was like someone had made time move faster, making them share feelings, expressions, and sentiments that should be spread over years, if not decades. For the Shelby family, this seemed to be the norm., and for Arthur himself, especially. With Billy, things took a turn: he couldn't just do whatever he wanted, he couldn't just put someone in front of the baby only to yank them away when he no longer wanted to be around them. Now, she was by his side while he grieved Tommy, a grief so overwhelming Arthur was surprised she still saw him as a human. But she did, and he could never thank her enough for that simple, but essential, display of relentless love. 

As for Ada, mourning Tommy looked different: she went about her tasks, raised her children, chatted to Polly, went to the market, volunteered, without as much as the blink of an eye to ward off tears. At night, after everyone had retreated into their bedrooms for the night, she got into bed as well, and looked at the ceiling. Only then did she cry, muffling her screams by burying her face as hard as she could in the fabric of Georgia's night shirt. No one else saw her cry, no one else was allowed into that moment of weakness, but her one true love. That was, after all, the greatest affirmation of that noble feeling: to feel safe only when her beloved was around, just the two of them. When her sobs subsided, and only then, did Ada allow herself to just rest, and reason with herself. 

The day the letter arrived, the whole family was at the house, except for Arthur and Billy, who were with Laura at her estate. Karl picked up the envelope, and gave it to his mother, who noticed the Scottish stamp put on it. Given that Esmeralda, Gigi's sister, was now closer to Manchester than she was to Inverness, this could only mean one thing: Isaiah and Maria had news for them. 

"Dear everyone: Maria gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl yesterday. They're both fine, so don't worry; I'm the one who cried rivers and couldn't speak for at least two hours after I got to hold her. Finn won't want you to know, but he cried, too... and so did my dad. We've decided to name her Eden Guadalupe, and she'll be baptised in a couple of weeks. If you could come, we'd be delighted, but don't worry if not; our safety and yours is the most important thing, and we know you'll be with us in thought" Ada read, wanting to cry herself. She remembered Isaiah, the proud father and author of the letter, as a little boy, and now he was a man... time went by so fast it was dizzying. As for Maria, sweet Maria, she would be the most beautiful mother, and her child would never go a day without the purest of loves. 

"A baby?" Karl asked, looking at his mum, with one of his rare yet bright smiles. "Maria's baby?" 

"Yeah, Maria and Isaiah had a baby girl" Ada explained, passing the letter to Polly, who read it with teary eyes. "Her name's Eden" 

"Ugh" Karl let out, rethinking his approach, and deciding to go with disdain. In his head, he was the one who should be fathering Maria's children, and Isaiah was a stupid boy who had stolen a girl who was far too good for him. "Ew"

"Oh Karl, don't be like that" Ada reproached, taking Elizabeth from Gigi, so that she too could read the sweet words Isaiah had written. "Do you think we could write to them? Ask Finn to come through here on his way back to Birmingham?"

"Does he know the news? Does he know about..." Gigi inquired, hoping she wasn't going to make either Ada or Polly cry, or get upset in any other way. 

"Arthur called him. Truth be told, he didn't sound very... he didn't seem to give too much of a damn, apparently" Polly shrugged, tired of pretending she herself lost any sleep over Tommy's death. If anything, she only regretted not doing it right, sparing her son from the horror of having to kill to grant her safety. "Can't say I blame him" she added, free to speak now that Michael was in his room, reading some boring book. 

"I'll uh... I'll go ahead and send a telegram for them, asking Finn to stay here for a few days" Georgia took the initiative, but Ada followed, not willing to have that sort of conversation with Polly again. They'd had multiple fights about how to handle Tommy's death, and none of them wanted to budge on their position. The two of them went into the parlour, and picked up the phone, choosing to call Isaiah and Maria, instead of sending a telegram, managing to escape the tension between aunt and niece. 

* * *

Finn watched over the baby, who was calmly resting in her cot. She was impossibly small, her feet and hands were absolutely tiny, and so was her nose. Her eyes, the colour of the deep sea, were the only thing about her that seemed to stray from her parents' features, apparently because of the milk that was her only sustenance. Her hair was jet black, and her skin was the colour of strong coffee with milk. 

"A miracle, isn't she?" a voice chimed in from behind him, one Finn recognised belonged to the newborn's mother. "I never knew I was capable of so much love until I saw her"

"And rightfully so, she's so precious" Finn agreed, taking his eyes off the baby to look at Maria, who walked up to him and watched as her daughter dozed off to sleep. "When my nephews and nieces were born, I was... I didn't even know how to feel. But after the first two, I'm positive that I would lay my life down for them, without even thinking about it for a second" 

"Yeah, babies do tend to be terrifying. I was so scared when I found out I was pregnant, I didn't know if I would be a good mum. I hope I will be, though" Maria confessed, looking up at Finn, who was much taller than she was. "Do you think you'll want a family, one day?" 

"No, no. I don't think so. I don't know. Maybe?" he stammered, caught off guard. "I never thought about it, I don't think" 

"Ah well, I'm sorry I asked"

"No, not at all. It's fine. It's just... I don't want to... I can't... Falling in love is..." he tried to clarify, although it never made sense, it never made a fucking ounce of sense. "I don't want to have a family with someone I don't love, and I can't fall in love, so... I'll just..." 

"That's alright, no need to explain" she assured, knowing all too well what it was like to be unable to love, unable to fall in romantic love. "My brother was the same: he was full of life, and full of love of all kinds, just not that type of love. And let me tell you, he lived a fantastic life, full to the very last minute. He didn't marry, didn't want to, but it didn't make him any less of a person, just because everyone around him thought it was the only way to grow" 

"Oh. I didn't... I didn't know others felt like this. I didn't... huh" Finn felt the relief pour out of his mouth, and it apparently made Maria smile. "I wish I'd known him" 

"I wish he'd met you, too. He would be elated to have a niece. I mean, not that I don't believe he's looking down on me and her, but... you know, not the same thing" Maria shrugged, taking in some air. "It's strange, actually: I see him in you, sometimes. And as much as... you need to be careful. Now that Tommy's... maybe you could move out here? Start a new life? With no snow, and no drinking?" 

"In an ideal world..." 

"What's stopping you?" 


End file.
